121 CLINICS 2009;64(2):121-5 CLINICAL SCIENCE Centro de Reabilitação, Sociedade Beneficente Israelita Brasileira Hospital Albert Einstein. São Paulo/SP, Brazil. Email: adinizlopes@uol.com.br Tel.: 55 11 3747-2330 Received for publication on September 19, 2008 Accepted for publication on October 25, 2008 COMPARISON OF SELF-REPORT AND INTERVIEW ADMINISTRATION METHODS BASED ON THE BRAZILIAN VERSIONS OF THE WESTERN ONTARIO ROTATOR CUFF INDEX AND DISABILITIES OF THE ARM, SHOULDER AND HAND QUESTIONNAIRE IN PATIENTS WITH ROTATOR CUFF DISORDERS Andréa Diniz Lopes, Ricardo de Vilar e Furtado, César Augusto da Silva, Liu Chiao Yi, Cristina Assumpção Malfatti, Silvana Antunes de Araújo doi: 10.1590/S1807-59322009000200009 Lopes AD, Vilar e Furtado R, da Silva CA, Yi LC, Malfatti CA, Araújo SA. Comparison of self-report and interview administration methods based on the Brazilian versions of the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire in patients with rotator cuff disorders. The WORC and DASH questionnaires. Clinics. 2009;64:121-5. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study was to compare self-report and interview administration methods using the West- ern Ontario Rotator Cuff Index (WORC) and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire (DASH) in patients with rotator cuff disorders. METHODS: Thirty male and female patients over 18 years of age with rotator cuff disorders (tendinopathy or rotator cuff tear) and Brazilian Portuguese as their primary language were recruited for assessment via administration of the Western Ontario Rota- tor Cuff Index and and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire. A randomization method was used to determine whether the questionnaires would be self-reported (n=15) or administered by an interviewer (n=15). Pearson correlation coefficients were used to evaluate the correlation between the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index and and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire in each group. The t-test was used to determine whether the difference in mean questionnaire scores and administration time was statistically significant. For statistical analysis, the level of significance was set at 5%. RESULTS: The mean subject age was 55.07 years, ranging from 27 to 74 years. Most patients had a diagnosis of tendinopathy (n=21). With regard to level of schooling, the majority (n=26) of subjects had completed a college degree or higher. The mean questionnaire scores and administration times did not significantly differ between the two groups (p>0.05). There were statistically significant correlations (p<0.05) between Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index and and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire, and strong correlations were found between the questionnaires in both groups. CONCLUSION: There are no differences between the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire administration methods with regard to administration time or correlations between the questionnaires. KEYWORDS: Shoulder; Rotator cuff; Questionnaires; Quality of life; Validation studies. INTRODUCTION Shoulder pain is the third most common musculoskeletal condition encountered in medical practice (following back and neck pain), and causes significant disability. 1-3 Rotator cuff disorders are the most common shoulder problem and are associated with pain, impairment in daily living activities, disability, and loss of productivity. 1-6 A considerable amount of research has been published evaluating therapeutic interventions and the effectiveness of treatment alternatives for patients with rotator cuff disease, and there is a growing interest in measuring the impact of treatment on functional