International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health as a Foundation for Instrument Development:...

The aim of the current study was to translate the English original version of the Hearing and Functioning in Everyday Life Questionnaire (HFEQ) to Swedish, evaluate the translation in terms of comprehensibility and relevance from a patient perspective, and culturally adapt the Swedish version (HFEQ-SWE).

A six-step methodology including translation into Swedish according to best practice methodology, evaluation, and cultural adaptation of the HFEQ-SWE using qualitative focus group interviews was used in this study. Thirteen adults with hearing loss were recruited from the audiological clinic in Örebro, Sweden. Their mean age was 57 years, and the four-frequency pure-tone average for the best ear ranged from 5 to 115 dB HL.

The results demonstrated that most of the items in the HFEQ-SWE were viewed as relevant by the informants. Not all items were considered relevant for all people, which also reflect the individual variability of everyday functioning. Most items were recognized as comprehensible without any changes needed.

Overall, the results indicate that the translation is semantically and culturally valid from the patient's perspective. Some revisions were suggested that need to be addressed in the further validation process of the HFEQ, and one item was removed.