Inclusion of Spanish-Speaking Families in NICU Symptom Research Using a Community Advisory Board

Admission rates of Hispanic/Latinx families to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are rising, yet knowledge regarding their experiences is limited. Non-English-speaking families are often excluded from research because study measures are not available in their language. The inclusion of these families in NICU research is crucial to understand the impact of cultural and language barriers in infant and family care, and the translation of study measures into Spanish could better ensure that these families' perspectives are included. However, previous research has utilized the standard translation-backtranslation method with which problems have been noted.

This article describes the planning, preparation, and action phases that were completed with the use of a community advisory board (CAB) to prepare and transcreate research study materials from English to Spanish for pilot testing.

Community members of interest were invited to form the CAB, and 2 meetings were held to review study materials in the English and Spanish versions. Prior to the second meeting, a professional translation company translated study materials from English to Spanish.

Feedback from the CAB ensured consistent content and reading levels, and culturally appropriate language usage. The CAB also provided suggestions to the research protocol and advised sensitive methods of recruitment and measure administration.

More accurate and culturally appropriate transcreation of study measures can reduce barriers to research participation and facilitate better communication with non-English-speaking families in health equity research to better inform evidence-based interventions and clinical practices across diverse groups.