Observational studyPloS one2021
Validity and reliability of the Dutch STarT MSK tool in patients with musculoskeletal pain in primary care physiotherapy.
Observational study in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 7 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- Development and feasibility of stratified primary care physiotherapy integrated with eHealth in patients with neck and/or shoulder complaints: results of a mixed methods study.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2023Trial
- Musculoskeletal pain among South African flight Attendants: A cross-sectional study.Journal of chiropractic humanities · 2025Article
- A Reliability Study of the Load Distribution Percentage While Walking Using Curalgia Feet Sx Smart Insoles.Cureus · 2024Article
- The Swedish version of the STarT MSK Tool: cross-cultural adaption, test-retest reliability, and aspects of validity.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2023Article
- Validation of the German version of the STarT-MSK-Tool: A cohort study with patients from physiotherapy clinics.PloS one · 2022Article
- An eCoach-Pain for Patients with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain in Interdisciplinary Primary Care: A Feasibility Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Correction: Validity and reliability of the Dutch STarT MSK tool in patients with musculoskeletal pain in primary care physiotherapy.PloS one · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo evaluate the validity and reliability of the Dutch STarT MSK tool in patients with musculoskeletal pain in primary care physiotherapy.
methodsPhysiotherapists included patients with musculoskeletal pain, aged 18 years or older. Patients completed a questionnaire at baseline and follow-up at 5 days and 3 months, respectively. Construct validity was assessed by comparing scores of STarT MSK items with reference questionnaires. Pearson's correlation coefficients were calculated to test predefined hypotheses. Test-retest reliability was evaluated by calculating quadratic-weighted kappa coefficients for overall STarT MSK tool scores (range 0-12) and prognostic subgroups (low, medium and high risk). Predictive validity was assessed by calculating relative risk ratios for moderate risk and high risk, both compared with low risk, in their ability to predict persisting disability at 3 months.
resultsIn total, 142 patients were included in the analysis. At baseline, 74 patients (52.1%) were categorised as low risk, 64 (45.1%) as medium risk and 4 (2.8%) as high risk. For construct validity, nine of the eleven predefined hypotheses were confirmed. For test-retest reliability, kappa coefficients for the overall tool scores and prognostic subgroups were 0.71 and 0.65, respectively. For predictive validity, relative risk ratios for persisting disability were 2.19 (95% CI: 1.10-4.38) for the medium-risk group and 7.30 (95% CI: 4.11-12.98) for the high-risk group.
conclusionThe Dutch STarT MSK tool showed a sufficient to good validity and reliability in patients with musculoskeletal pain in primary care physiotherapy. The sample size for high-risk patients was small (n = 4), which may limit the generalisability of findings for this group. An external validation study with a larger sample of high-risk patients (≥50) is recommended.
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