The Thai Translation of the Pediatric Gait, Arms, Legs, Spine Tool is Useful for Pediatric Residents in Detecting Musculoskeletal Abnormalities in Children

Background The pediatric Gait, Arms, Legs, Spine (pGALS) tool is used to screen musculoskeletal (MSK) abnormalities in children. This study aimed to evaluate the application of the Thai translation of pGALS tool in outpatient clinical settings. Methods This cross-sectional study included patients aged 4 to 16 years, recruited from the Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. Pediatric residents performed the Thai pGALS tool, and a pediatric rheumatologist performed the MSK examination. Results One hundred Thai patients were enrolled with a mean age of 9.87 ± 3.01 years. Forty percent of patients had MSK complaints. The median duration of the assessment was 3.96 minutes (interquartile range, 2.07-5.84 minutes). Abnormal pGALS examination by pediatric residents was found in 43 patients, all of which had abnormal MSK examination by a pediatric rheumatologist. Seventeen patients did not have abnormal pGALS examination by pediatric residents, but had abnormal MSK examination confirmed by a pediatric rheumatologist; these patients all had noninflammatory/mechanical conditions. The 3 screening questions of the Thai pGALS tool had a sensitivity and specificity of 71.67% and 77.5%, respectively; the examination had a sensitivity and specificity of 74.14% and 100%, respectively. For acceptability, 99% of parents and 89% of patients reported no discomfort. For practicality, 99% of parents and 89% of patients reported the highest level of practicality. Conclusions The Thai pGALS tool is useful for MSK screening in children performed by pediatric residents in outpatient clinical settings. Adding maneuvers to the pGALS examination to detect more common noninflammatory MSK conditions would be beneficial.