Validity of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association Hip Disease Evaluation Questionnaire (JHEQ) for Japanese patients with labral tear

The Japanese Orthopaedic Association Hip Disease Evaluation Questionnaire (JHEQ) was created for patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and to evaluate the conditions of patients with hip disease. Nevertheless, the validity of the JHEQ for patients with hip labral tears remains unclear. Therefore, we validated the JHEQ in patients with labral tears. There were 51 patients (mean age 44.5, range 18-60 years; 31 women). Thirty-two patients had right-sided tears, 29 underwent hip arthroscopy, 32 had femoroacetabular impingement and 15 had developmental hip dysplasia. Five PROMs included in the JHEQ were evaluated using test-retest methods. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software according to the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement Instruments checklist. The intra-class correlation coefficient (1, 2) of all JHEQ scores (84 points) was 0.88 and Cronbach's α was 0.94. Bland-Altman analysis revealed good test-retest reliability for the JHEQ. The Spearman's rank test, including the SF-36 subscale, showed a high correlation with physical functioning [1, 0.67 ( P  < 0.01); 2, 0.65 ( P  < 0.01)], body pain [1, 0.54 ( P  < 0.01); 2, 0.53 ( P  < 0.01)] and physical component summary [1, 0.55 ( P  < 0.01); 2, 0.55 ( P  < 0.01)]. The value of minimal important change (22.9) was higher than that of smallest detectable change (3.21), suggesting that the JHEQ has adequate responsiveness. We demonstrated the reliability, validity and responsiveness of the JHEQ in Japanese patients with hip labral tears. JHEQ is a valid assessment tool not only for patients with hip osteoarthritis or osteonecrosis but also for those with hip labral tears.