Levels of cognitive functioning assessment scale: italian cross-cultural adaptation and validation

Study design. Cross-sectional study. Objective. To develop an Italian version of the Levels of Cognitive Functioning Assessment Scale (LOCFAS) and examine its reliability and validity. Subject. Patients with acquired brain injury in an early post-coma state. Methods. The original scale was translated from English to Italian using the guidelines set forth in the Translation and Cultural Adaptation of Patient Reported Outcomes Measures-Principles of Good Practice. Intra-rater reliability was examined using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Concurrent validity was evaluated using Pearson's correlation coefficients with some of the functional and disability components of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), excluding environmental factors. Setting. The highly specialized neurorehabilitation department of "San Raffaele" Hospital, Cassino. Results. The Italian version of the LOCFAS (LOCFAS-I) was administered to 38 subjects from May 9, 2017 to August 31, 2017. The mean ± SD of the LOCFAS-I score was 3.05 ± 1.88. All LOCFAS-I items were either identical or similar in meaning to the original version's items. Test-retest reliability (ICC) was 0.996 (p < 0.01). The Pearson correlation coefficient of the LOCFAS-I scores with some of the functional and disability components of the ICF was > 0.536 (p < 0.01). Conclusions. The LOCFAS-I was found to be reliable and a valid measurement tool for the assessment of cognitive functioning post-coma in the Italian population.