EFAS Score Validation of the Slovak Version by the Score Committee of the European Foot and Ankle Society (EFAS).

BACKGROUND: The Score Committee of the European Foot and Ankle Society (EFAS) developed, validated, and published the EFAS Score in 17 languages. Currently, the Slovak version completed data acquisition and underwent further validation.

METHODS: The data were collected pre-operatively and post-operatively at a minimum follow-up of 3 months and mean follow-up of 6 months. Item reduction, scale exploration, confirmatory analyses and responsiveness were executed using classical test theory and item response theory.

RESULTS: The internal consistency was confirmed in the Slovak version (Cronbach's Alpha 0.86). The Standard Error of Measurement (SEM) was 0.34 and is similar to other language versions. Between baseline and follow-up, 81% of patients showed an improvement on their EFAS score, with good responsiveness (effect size 1.30).

CONCLUSIONS: The Slovak EFAS Score version was successfully validated in patients with a wide variety of foot and ankle pathologies. All score versions are freely available at www.efas.net.