Translation and validation of the Simplified Chinese version of International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Form

Purpose To cross-culturally adapt and validate the International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Form to Simplified Chinese (SC-IKDC-SKF). Methods The original version was translated and cross-culturally adapted into Simplified Chinese according to standard guidelines. A total of 103 patients enrolled in our research. Each participant was asked to complete three instruments including the SC-IKDC-SKF, the Lysholm knee score, and the Short Form-36 (SF-36). Each participant was asked to complete the SC-IKDC-SKF twice with an interval of 7 days. A portion of the participants ( n = 51) finished the SC-IKDC-SKF a third time with an interval of 12 months after arthroscopic treatment. Psychometric assessments included internal consistency, test–retest reliability, content and construct validity, and responsiveness. Results Strong internal consistency was proved with Cronbach’s α = 0.92. The intraclass correlation coefficient reached 0.94, indicating high test–retest reliability. No ceiling or floor effect was observed. Compared with the Lysholm knee score and the subscales of SF-36, good convergent and divergent validity of the SC-IKDC-SKF were demonstrated. The standard response mean was 2.39 and the effect size was 1.33, indicating high responsiveness. Conclusions The SC-IKDC-SKF was demonstrated to be a reliable, valid and responsive instrument for evaluating knee functions and symptoms of patients with knee pathology in mainland China. Level of evidence II.