SPANISH TRANSLATION AND CROSS-CULTURAL ADAPTATION OF THE PRESSURE ULCER QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE (PU-QOL)

Abstract

BACKGROUND // Pressure ulcers (PU) are the most prevalent of the dependency-related injuries, affecting the quality of life of the patients who suffer them. However, there are no instruments adapted to the Spanish context to evaluate this quality of life. The use of specific tools in Spanish to evaluate the quality of life perceived by patients with PUs is considered an indispensable element for healthcare decisions. The aim of this paper was to translate and culturally adapt the Pressure Ulcer Quality of Life Questionnaire (PU-QOL) into Spanish for the measurement of health-related quality of life in patients with pressure ulcers.

METHODS // A translation, back-translation, and pre-test method was used on the target population to obtain an adapted version of the original PU-QOL instrument. The area was Primary Care. The participants were fifteen Primary Care patients. Main steps: 1) Direct translation; 2) Synthesis and concordance of versions by an expert committee; 3) Back translation; 4) Consistency of the back translation with the author from the original questionnaire; and 5) Analysis of comprehensibility through cognitive interviews with a sample of patients.

RESULTS // An instrument to measure perceived quality of life in patients with PU was obtained, composed of ten scales and eighty-three items. The scales and items of the original questionnaire were maintained. Conceptual and semantic analysis produced adjustments in wording, clarification and reformulations adapted to the Spanish context.

CONCLUSIONS // We present this first phase of translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the PU-QOL questionnaire in Spanish, which could be a useful tool for decision-making on health care in patients with PUs.