Development and Reliability Testing of Spanish Language and English Language Versions of the Multidimensional Task Ability Profile Joe L. Verna • Leonard N. Matheson • Sharon Gables • RaNae Hause • John M. Mayer Ó Springer Science+Business Media New York 2012 Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study was to assess the: (1) test–retest reliability of the English and Spanish language versions of the Multidimensional Task Ability Profile (MTAP), (2) cross-cultural adaptation of the Spanish language version of the MTAP, and (3) practicality of both versions in terms of time required for administra- tion. The MTAP is a patient-reported outcome measure of physical function that uses a combination of text and pic- torial illustrations. Methods An observational study was conducted with a convenience sample of patients with musculoskeletal disorders from three outpatient physical rehabilitation centers. Participants (n = 110) completed the MTAP two times, whereby the second test was com- pleted 24–72 h after the first test. Focus groups were conducted at the end of the study. Correlation analyses were used to assess test–retest reliability and qualitative analyses were used to assess cultural adaptation of the MTAP. Results The English and Spanish versions of the MTAP displayed good test–retest reliability (ICC 2,1 = 0.87–0.97, p \ 0.05). Qualitative analyses demon- strated adequate cross-cultural adaptation of the Spanish language version of the instrument. Conclusions The findings of this study indicate that the MTAP has been adequately adapted from its original English version for use with Spanish-speaking individuals. The MTAP in its current form of 50 items is reliable when administered to individuals with musculoskeletal disorders in either Eng- lish or Spanish. Keywords Cross-cultural adaptation Á Patient-reported outcome measure Á Physical function Introduction Patient-reported outcome measures of physical function have become standard tools in rehabilitation [1]. These measures can safely provide useful information about a patient’s functional and work capacity with relatively little time and expense [2]. In recent years, patient-reported outcome measures have become recognized by U.S. gov- ernmental agencies, such as Medicare and Medicaid, who recommend their routine implementation by health care providers [3]. The American Medical Association Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, private payers, and health providers also advocate the use of patient- reported outcome measures when determining health, function, disability, and impairment of individuals [4, 5]. The items in most patient-reported outcome question- naires are exclusively text, using language to convey meaning to the evaluee. Use of text alone may lead to language, culture, literacy issues, and inaccurate reporting that limit the utility of such questionnaires [6]. Alterna- tively, a small set of pictorial activity test questionnaires has been developed, containing items that combine both language and simple drawings to convey meaning [6]. The picture of an activity in combination with a short text J. L. Verna (&) Á L. N. Matheson Vert Mooney Research Foundation, 3444 Kearny Villa Rd, Suite 200, San Diego, CA 92123, USA e-mail: drjverna@aol.com J. L. Verna Á S. Gables Á R. Hause Spine and Sport, Inc, San Diego, CA, USA L. N. Matheson EpicRehab, St. Louis, MO, USA J. M. Mayer University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA e-mail: jmayer003@tampabay.rr.com 123 J Occup Rehabil DOI 10.1007/s10926-012-9395-8