BREAST-Q Translation and Linguistic Validation to European Portuguese

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Health Services Research
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Assessing health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is crucial for breast cancer patients undergoing reconstructive surgery.
• The BREAST-Q is a widely adopted patient-reported outcome measure for evaluating the impact of breast surgery.
• Adaptation of validated instruments is essential for diverse linguistic and cultural contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To translate and linguistically validate the BREAST-Q reconstructive module into European Portuguese.
• To ensure the translated instrument maintains conceptual and cultural equivalence to the original.
• To facilitate the use of a reliable HRQoL assessment tool for Portuguese-speaking breast cancer patients.

Main Methods:

• Adherence to International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) guidelines.
• A rigorous process involving forward translation, back translation, expert panel review, and cognitive interviews with patients.
• Collaboration with the original BREAST-Q developers to ensure accuracy and consensus.

Main Results:

• Identified and revised three conceptually distinct items during forward translation.
• Addressed wording discrepancies and conceptual disparities through back translation and expert consensus.
• Final adjustments were made post-cognitive interviews, leading to a validated consensual version.

Conclusions:

• The BREAST-Q reconstructive module is now linguistically validated for use in the European Portuguese population.
• This validated instrument will enable reliable assessment of HRQoL in Portuguese breast cancer patients.
• The methodology employed can serve as a model for future linguistic validation of other patient-reported outcome measures.