Abstract
<jats:p> Impaired hand function is one of the most common clinical manifestations of multiple sclerosis (MS), which has a significant impact on patients' quality of life.</jats:p> <jats:p> <jats:bold> Objective: </jats:bold> to develop a Russian-language version and linguistic and cultural adaptation of the Arm Function in Multiple Sclerosis Questionnaire (AMSQ), which is used to quantitatively assess hand function in patients with MS. </jats:p> <jats:p> <jats:bold> Material and methods.</jats:bold> The process of translating and linguistically and culturally adapting the questionnaire comprised six stages: direct translation by two specialists, synthesis of the translations, back-translation, expert review of the Russian-language version of the questionnaire, pilot testing, and final editing of the text. The pilot study included 18 Russian-speaking patients diagnosed with MS. The questionnaire was completed under the supervision of a neurologist, and its clarity, accessibility of wording and overall perception by patients were assessed. The median age of the pilot study participants was 33 years, the median duration of the disease was 6 years, and the mean EDSS score was 4.0. </jats:p> <jats:p> <jats:bold> Results. </jats:bold> All participants successfully completed the questionnaire without difficulty. The time taken to complete it ranged from 4 to 12 minutes. Following the analysis, the final Russian-language version of the AMSQ questionnaire, adapted to take account of linguistic and cultural characteristics, was approved. The Russian-language version of the questionnaire demonstrated clinical applicability and comprehensibility for patients with MS. </jats:p> <jats:p> <jats:bold> Conclusion.</jats:bold> This questionnaire can be used in routine clinical practice and scientific research as a reliable tool for assessing hand function. The next stage of the validation study will involve evaluating the psychometric properties of the Russian-language version of the questionnaire. </jats:p>