Abstract
BACKGROUND: The Forgotten Joint Score (FJS) is a patient-reported outcome measure developed to assess the degree of joint awareness after arthroplasty surgeries. This study aimed to translate the FJS into Korean and assess its reliability and validity for application in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA). METHODS: Translation and transcultural adaptation of the FJS into Korean (K-FJS) was performed in accordance with international recommendations. All patients who attended our hospital's hip joint experts after unilateral THA from January 2021 to February 2021 were invited to complete K-FJS, EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D), modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS), and Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS). A total of 177 patients (mean age, 53.2 years) participated in evaluating the psychometric properties of the K-FJS. Feasibility was evaluated by assessing floor and ceiling effects. Internal consistency, using Cronbach's alpha, was evaluated to measure reliability. To investigate construct validity, correlation analysis was performed. RESULTS: The English version of the HOOS was translated and adapted to Korean without significant differences. The K-FJS exhibited a minimal ceiling effect of 8.5% and a floor effect of 2.3%. The K-FJS demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.964). Moderate correlations were found with EQ-5D (r = 0.388) and mHHS (r = 0.450), and a strong correlation was found with HOOS (r = 0.802), supporting the construct validity of the K-FJS. CONCLUSIONS: The K-FJS is a reliable and valid method for assessing joint awareness in Korean THA patients. Its application in clinical practice may improve the assessment of patient outcomes following THA.