Background: The pGALS was initially developed in the UK in 2006. It is a core clinical skill to be used alongside basic knowledge of normal development and awareness of red flags. It has been validated in school-aged children and has proven its acceptability and practicality in different languages in many countries.

Objectives: To adapt and validate the French version of pGALS to school-age children across francophone regions.

Methods: We carried out a cross-cultural adaptation of the pGALS to French speaking children using the Delphi method. This consensual version was validated in a descriptive, cross-sectional study, in a pediatric rheumatology department as well as through a screening visit in middle schools across Tunisia, Algeria and Switzerland.

Results: Seventy-six children were enrolled, sex ratio=0,55. Children were recruited from three distinct countries: Tunisia (35 participants, 46.1%), Algeria (20 participants, 26.3%), and Switzerland (21 participants, 27.6%). Mean age of the participants was 12.8±2.6 years. Twenty-nine participants (38,2%) had no specific reason for consultation. Forty-seven participants (61.8%) participants sought consultation with a primary motive, with 17 cases related to musculoskeletal (MSK) complaints and 30 cases involving the monitoring of chronic MSK diseases. The mean duration of pGALS was 4.07±1 minute regardless of the country. Duration of pGALS was 4.26±0.67 minutes, 4.32±1.38 minutes, and 3.53±0.83 minutes respectively in Tunisia, Algeria, and Switzerland, p=0.006. Fifty-one children (67.1%) had a positive pGALS. Forty-two participants (55.3%) had a final diagnosis of MSK disorder, 10 (28.6%) in Tunisia, 13 (65%) in Algeria, and 19 (90.5%) in Switzerland, p<0.0001. Positive pGALS was significantly associated with the presence of MSQ disease (p<0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of the pGALS to detect MSK disorders were, respectively, 95,24% and 67,65% (Table 1). The internal consistency analysis enabled us to calculate the overall Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient. Maneuvers 6, 8, 10, and 15 had a null Variation, so they were eliminated from Cronbach’s alpha matrix. The overall Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the 15 items was 0.607. The KMO and Bartlett tests couldn’t be calculated because there was almost no correlation between the items.

Principal component analysis of the 15 items revealed 4 main factors: a first factor F1 included: Q1, Q3, M1, and M2; a second factor F2 grouped: M3, M4, and M5, a 3rd factor F3 compounded: M7, M12, and M13 and a 4th factor F4 grouped: M1, M16, and M17.

Conclusion: The combination of good sensitivity and specificity in this French version of pGALS makes it a practical and efficient screening tool, offering reliable results for musculoskeletal assessments in children.

REFERENCES: NIL.

Acknowledgements: NIL.

Disclosure of Interests: None declared.