VALIDATION-STUDY OF A COMPUTERIZED VERSION OF THE WESTERN ONTARIO ANDMCMASTER UNIVERSITIES VA3.0 OSTEOARTHRITIS INDEX

Objective. To study the validity and feasibility of a computerized ver sion of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) Osteoart hritis Index. Methods. Thirty patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee completed both a paper and a computerized version of WOMAC in ra ndom order. The visual analog scaled version of WOMAC, VA3.0, was used . We studied criterion validity by comparing the paper and computerize d versions. Results. All patients completed the computerized version w ithout undue difficulty. Criterion validity,based on aggregated subsca le scores, was excellent: Pain, ICC = 0.89, Stiffness, ICC = 0.87, Phy sical Function, ICC = 0.95. Conclusion. The computerized version of WO MAC VA3.0 is a valid alternative to the paper version.