Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the MSK-30 for the Cuban Healthcare System

Authors

Keywords:

muscle skeletal; health knowledge, attitudes, practice; health care levels; education, medical.

Abstract

Background: Given current evidence highlighting the need to optimize training on musculoskeletal disease, the MSK-30 questionnaire stands as a valid instrument to assess such knowledge.

Objective: To translate and adapt the MSK-30 scale to strengthen knowledge about musculoskeletal disease within the Cuban context of primary healthcare.

Methods: An instrumental study was conducted, including forward and backward translation from English to Spanish, evaluation by the researchers which modified three items from the original scale to incorporate a focus on prevention aligned with the competencies of family physicians in Cuba, content validation by seven experts using the Content Validity Index, and the assessment of internal consistency (Cronbach's Alpha) and feasibility in a pilot sample of 12 family physicians.

Results: An adapted version, the Cuban MSK-30, was developed, including 27 original items and three new items on prevention. Content validity was excellent, with 29 items exceeding a CVI ≥ 0.78. Item 27 was reworked after an initially unfavorable evaluation. The scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's Alpha = 0.89) and high feasibility, with an average response time of 12 minutes.

Conclusions: The study provides a valid, reliable, and culturally adapted tool to assess musculoskeletal knowledge among physicians in Cuba. The adapted version of the MSK-30 is a valuable resource for medical education and research, incorporating the essential preventive focus of primary care.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Orisleidys Ramírez Cabañín , Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Villa Clara

There are no conflicts of interest.

Bárbara Francisca Toledo Pimentel, Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Villa Clara

Hospital Militar "Comandante Manuel Fajardo Rivero"

Ivonne Cepero Rodríguez , Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Villa Clara

Hospital Militar "Comandante Manuel Fajardo Rivero"

Duniesky Verdecía Navarro , Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Villa Clara

There are no conflicts of interest.

References

1. Peeler J. Addressing musculoskeletal curricular inadequacies within undergraduate medical education. BMC Med Educ [Internet]. 2024 [citado 31/10/2025];24(1):845-47 Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05849-6

2. Harkins P, Burke E, Conway R. Musculoskeletal education in undergraduate medical curricula-A systematic review. Int J Rheum Dis [Internet]. 2024 [citado 31/10/2025];26(2):210-224. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1111/1756-185X.14508

3. Jin Y, Ma L, Zhou J, Xiong B, Fernando A, Snelgrove H. A call for improving of musculoskeletal education on physical medicine and rehabilitation studies: a systematic review with meta-analysis. BMC Med Educ [Internet]. 2024 [citado 31/10/2025];24(1):1163. Disponible en: https://bmcmededuc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12909-024-06178-

4. Cabrera Pacheco R, Cordero Betancourt LL, Valdés Camalleri JA, Breijo Mato LR. Rediseño del programa de Ortopedia y Traumatología para el quinto año de Medicina. Rev Mendive [Internet]. 2025 [citado /12/2025];23(3):e4209. Disponible en: https://mendive.upr.edu.cu/index.php/MendiveUPR/article/view/4209

5. Yu J, Li AD, Leggit JC. Creating an Assessment Tool for Clinical Musculoskeletal Knowledge. Curr Sports Med Rep [Internet]. 2021 [citado 31/10/2025];20(2):124-128. Disponible en: https://scholar.usuhs.edu/en/publications/creating-an-assessment-tool-for-clinical-musculoskeletal-knowledg

6. Lane AD, Tomesch AJ, Waterbrook A, Denq W. Using the Novel Musculoskeletal Emergency Medicine Assessment Tool: A Feasibility Study. Cureus [Internet]. 2024 [citado 31/10/2025];16(6):e61740. Disponible en. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.61740

7. Cummings DL, Smith M, Merrigan B, Leggit J. MSK30: a validated tool to assess clinical musculoskeletal knowledge. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med [Internet]. 2019 [citado 21/10/2025];5(1):e000495. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2018-000495

8. Giovannico G, Pappaccogli M, Cioeta M, Pellicciari L, Youssef S, Angilecchia D, Giannotta G, Brindisino F. The Musculoskeletal 30-question multiple choice questionnaire (MSK-30): a new assessing tool of musculoskeletal competence in a sample of Italian physiotherapists. BMC Musculoskelet Disord [Internet]. 2024 [citado 21/10/2025];25(1):265-66. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-024-07400-6

9. Vázquez Condor JJ. Validación de la escala MSK-30 2.0 para la evaluación de conocimiento clínico músculoesquelético en español para estudiantes de pregrado en el semestre 2022-1 [tesis]. Ecuador:Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador; 2022. Disponible en: Microsoft Word-Tesis MSK Final Print.docx

10. Valdés-Sánchez M. Validación y adaptación lingüístico-cultural del instrumento Cuestionario de habilidades gerenciales para directivos de la salud. Rev Med Electron [Internet]. 2024 [citado 27/10/2025];46:[aprox. 18 p.]. Disponible en: http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1684-18242024000100046&lng=es

11. Sousa VD, Rojjanasrirat W. Traducción, adaptación y validación de instrumentos o escalas para su uso en la investigación transcultural en salud: Una guía clara y fácil de usar. J Eval Clin Pract [Internet]. 2011 [citado 27/10/2025];17:268–274. Disponible en: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2753.2010.01434

12. Gil Girbau M, Pons Vigués M, Rubio Valera M, Murrugarra G, Masluk B, Rodríguez Martín B et al. Modelos teóricos de promoción de la salud en la práctica habitual en atención primaria de salud. Gac Sanit [Internet]. 2021 [citado 21/10/2025];35(1):48-59. Disponible en: http://scielo.isciii.es/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0213-91112021000100048&lng=es

13. Roselló Añón A, Colado Domínguez J, García Laguarta J, Sangüesa Nebot JM, Domenech Fernández J. Aptitudes y conocimientos en medicina musculo-esquelética en licenciados en medicina previos a su incorporación al sistema de residencia del Sistema Nacional de Salud. Rev Española de Cirugía Ortopédica y Traumatología [Internet]. 2022 [citado 30/10/2025];66(4):242-50. Disponible en: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1888441521001272

14. Scambler W, Hawley M, Boeckmann A, Shau D, Schmidt R. Orthopaedic Representation in Medical School Leadership: Implications for Musculoskeletal Education. JB JS Open Access [Internet]. 2025 [citado 30/10/2025];10(3):e25.00047. Disponible en: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12225996/

15. Streiner DL, Kottner J. Recommendations for reporting the results of studies of instrument and scale development and testing. J Adv Nurs[Internet]. 2014 [citado 30/10/2025];70(9):1970-79. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.12402

Published

2026-03-01

How to Cite

1.
Ramírez Cabañín O, Velázquez Valentín A, Toledo Pimentel BF, Cepero Rodríguez I, Verdecía Navarro D. Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the MSK-30 for the Cuban Healthcare System. EDUMEC [Internet]. 2026 Mar. 1 [cited 2026 Mar. 6];18(1):e3271. Available from: https://revedumecentro.sld.cu/index.php/edumc/article/view/3271

Issue

Section

ARTÍCULO ORIGINAL