The Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) was developed as a comprehensive tool to assess various aspects of Parkinson's disease (PD), encompassing both non-motor and motor aspects of daily living, as well as motor complications. The scale is widely utilized in clinical and research settings to provide an evaluation of disease impact.
For project homepage: MDS-UPDRS (movementdisorders.org)
Three-Phase Validation Program
The Norwegian validation study employs a meticulous three-phased program to translate and validate the MDS-UPDRS:
- Phase I, translation and back-translation: A forward translation is developed by an independent translation team with an emphasis on meaning as opposed to a word-by-word literal translation. Following completion, a second team independently translates the scale from the native language into English.
- Phase II, cognitive pre-testing: The approved translation is administered in a set of approximately 10 PD patients for cognitive pre-testing.
- Phase III, large-scale validation testing: The translation team administers the MDS-UPDRS to 350 PD patients. The patient sample includes different ages, genders, severities of PD, geographical regions, and educational levels.
The primary factor determining approval is the performance of a confirmatory factor analysis on each component of the scale, comparing the results with the established factor structure in the English version. This rigorous validation process ensures that the Norwegian translation of the MDS-UPDRS maintains its integrity and relevance across different demographic and clinical contexts.