Translation and Validation of the Turkish Parotidectomy Outcome Inventory-8

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Surgical Oncology
• Quality of Life Research

Background:

• Salivary gland tumors are common head and neck neoplasms, frequently benign and located in the parotid gland.
• Parotidectomy, a surgery for these tumors, requires specific techniques and carries potential complications.
• Existing quality of life (QoL) questionnaires lack specificity for parotidectomy outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To translate the Parotidectomy Outcome Inventory-8 (POI-8) into Turkish.
• To assess the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the POI-8 for QoL assessment post-parotidectomy.

Main Methods:

• Fifty patients undergoing parotidectomy for benign conditions were enrolled.
• The Turkish POI-8 and the validated Turkish University of Washington QoL (UW-QoL) were administered.
• Validity, internal consistency, and intra-rater/inter-rater reliability of the Turkish POI-8 were evaluated.

Main Results:

• The Turkish POI-8 demonstrated high intra-rater and inter-rater reliability.
• Strong internal consistency was confirmed via a high Cronbach's alpha coefficient.
• A significant negative correlation was found between the Turkish POI-8 and UW-QoL scores.

Conclusions:

• The validated Turkish POI-8 is a reliable instrument for assessing QoL after parotidectomy.
• Head and neck surgeons can confidently use the Turkish POI-8 to evaluate patient outcomes.
• This tool enhances the specific measurement of QoL in patients treated for benign parotid tumors.