Cross-cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Chinese Version of Atrial Fibrillation Information Overload Scale

Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) experience information overload during self-management and engagement in health care. The Atrial Fibrillation Information Overload Scale (AFIOS) has been validated and used to assess information overload in Australian AF population. However, a validated Chinese version of AFIOS is not available. The aim of this study was to translate the 8-item and modified 5-item AFIOSs from English into Chinese and test their psychometric properties.

Translation and cross-cultural adaption were conducted according to international guidelines. The translated scales were administered to 362 patients with AF from May 2022 to March 2023. Psychometric evaluation included item analysis, content validity, construct validity, and reliability.

All items had item-total correlation coefficient over .30 and were significantly different between high-scoring and low-scoring groups. Exploratory factor analysis revealed that both versions were one-factor structure, explaining 52.1% and 52.7% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the one-factor model fit the data well in both versions. The scale level-content validity index, Cronbach α, and test-retest reliability of the 8-item scale were .96, .87, and .97, respectively; those of the 5-item scale were .97, .75, and .95, respectively.

Chinese versions of both the scales exhibit good psychometric properties. Healthcare professionals could utilize the 5-item version scale to assess AF patients' information overload and develop targeted strategies to mitigate its negative impact on self-management and engagement.