We translated and adapted the English RC-QOL (rotator cuff quality of life) questionnaire into Italian and performed reliability and validity evaluations of the Italian RC-QOL version in patients with rotator cuff tears. The RC-QOL English version was translated into Italian by a bilingual orthopaedic surgeon. The back translation of the Italian version into English was performed by another bilingual orthopaedic surgeon. The original version was compared with the back translation. The RC-QOL questionnaire was then administered to 22 subjects (range 45-74 years) with a diagnosis of rotator cuff tears. For test-retest evaluation, the 22 patients were asked to complete the questionnaire at first examination, and 30 min following the end of this examination. The intraclass correlation coefficient for the 22 patients was 0.94 (95% CI = 0.85-0.98), indicating a high reliability. There were no significant differences between the scores immediately after the consultation and 30 min later. The Italian and the English versions of the RC-QOL questionnaire evaluate the same aspects of clinical severity in patients with rotator cuff tears.
