Validity of a French version of the fatigue impact scale in multiple sclerosis

Purpose Fatigue is a frequent and common symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS) that can interfere with patients' everyday activities. There is no objective scale for assessing fatigue in French MS patients. The objective of this study was to adapt an English language scale for use with French patients. Methods The Fatigue Impact Scale was translated and culturally adapted into French by a committee of medical and linguistic specialists. The psychometric properties of this new instrument, called EMIF-SEP were assessed. Results EMIF-SEP is composed of 40 items. Four dimensions of this scale (cognitive, physical, social role and psychological) were identified by factor analysis. Each dimension had a high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha >0.80). The test-retest reproducibility was very satisfactory; intra-class correlation coefficients were all above 0. 70. Conclusion EMIF-SEP is the first scale for assessing MS-related fatigue which has been adapted to French-speaking patients. It is useful for clinical practice and MS-related research.