Enabling Cross-cultural Data Pooling in Trials: Linguistic Validation of Head and Neck Cancer Measures for Indian Patients

Overview

Journal Qual Life Res

Specialties Pharmacology
Rehabilitation Medicine

Date 2021 Apr 2

PMID 33797687

Citations 4

Authors

Chindhu Shunmugasundaram

Haryana M Dhillon

Phyllis N Butow

Puma Sundaresan

Claudia Rutherford

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Head and neck cancers (HNC) and their treatments cause dysfunction and distress. Ongoing psychological assessment using disease-specific patient-reported measures may optimize clinical decision-making, facilitate interventions to reduce psychosocial burden. As most such measures are developed in English, non-English speaking patients are disadvantaged. This study translated HNC-specific measures (Body Image Scale, Patient Concerns Inventory, Zung's Self-Rating Anxiety and Depression Scales and Patient Health Questionnaire-9) into three Indian languages (Hindi, Tamil and Telugu) and linguistically validated them.

Methods: Translation followed established guidelines on translation and linguistic validation of measures. Process involved two independent forward translations, reconciliation, two independent backward translations by bilingual experts, and cognitive debriefing interviews with nine healthcare professionals (HCPs) and 29 HNC patients. Translated versions were compared with the original versions for semantic, cultural and conceptual equivalence.

Results: Overall, 17 Hindi items, 19 Tamil items and 13 Telugu items were identified to have semantic, cultural and/or conceptual issues. These were resolved to achieve equivalence with the original measures. Interviews with HCPs indicated that equivalent terms for words such as anxiety, panicky, sexuality, and self-conscious might be difficult to understand. Interviews with patients indicated all items were understandable, easy, sensitive, unambiguous and relevant. Hence, no further revisions were made.

Conclusions: The translated Hindi, Tamil and Telugu versions of the Body image scale, Patient concerns inventory, Zung's self-rating anxiety and depression scales and Patient health questionnaire-9 measures are conceptually and linguistically validated and equivalent with the original English versions. Psychometric validation of these measures with relevant patient populations is needed.

Citing Articles

Cultural Adaptation of Patient Health Questionnaire-9 in Hindi for Use with Patients with Cancer in Community Palliative Care Settings.

Bhardwaj T, Arora N, Paul A, Chowdhary P Indian J Palliat Care. 2023; 29(3):292-311.

PMID: 37700900 PMC: 10493686. DOI: 10.25259/IJPC_96_2023.

The Patient Concerns Inventory in head and neck oncology: a structured review of its development, validation and clinical implications.

Kanatas A, Lowe D, Rogers S Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2022; 279(11):5097-5111.

PMID: 35842858 PMC: 9519723. DOI: 10.1007/s00405-022-07499-0.

Body Image Scale: Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties in Three Indian Head and Neck Cancer Language Groups.

Shunmugasundaram C, Dhillon H, Butow P, Sundaresan P, Chittem M, Akula N Front Psychol. 2022; 13:779850.

PMID: 35645858 PMC: 9135105. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.779850.

Patient-reported anxiety and depression measures for use in Indian head and neck cancer populations: a psychometric evaluation.

Shunmugasundaram C, Dhillon H, Butow P, Sundaresan P, Chittem M, Akula N J Patient Rep Outcomes. 2021; 5(1):44.

PMID: 34097161 PMC: 8184912. DOI: 10.1186/s41687-021-00316-y.

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