Croatian Version of the Quality of Recovery Questionnaire (QoR-40): Transcultural Adaptation and Validation

The Quality of Recovery-40 (QoR-40) questionnaire is a psychometric instrument designed to quantify postoperative recovery. It has been translated and validated in several countries but not in Croatia. The aim was to translate, cross-culturally adapt, and validate Croatian version of the QoR-40. The QoR-40 was translated from English by two independent translators, back-translated by a native speaker, and approved by an expert committee. The questionnaire was administered to 106 patients who underwent general anesthesia before elective spinal surgery, post-surgery in the operating room, and 30 days after surgery. Internal consistency was assessed using the Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Construct validity was assessed by evaluating correlation between the QoR-40 and hand grip strength. The mean preoperative global QoR-40 score was 177.6 (95% CI 174.9-180.3) and postoperative 168.9 (95% CI 165.8-171.9); the mean change was -8.8 (95% CI -11.9 to -5.6). Internal consistency was good for global QoR-40 score (Cronbach [alpha]=0.896), acceptable across all domains (8>[alpha]>7). There was a significant correlation between grip strength and total QoR-40 score, pain, and physical independence, but not with other domains. In conclusion, the Croatian version of the QoR-40 has acceptable properties and can be used in the assessment of postoperative recovery in Croatian patients. Key words: Anesthesia; Croatian; QoR-40 questionnaire; Validation