Translation and validation of the questionnaire on current status of physiotherapy practice in the cancer rehabilitation

The translation and cultural adaptation of psychometrically tested tools is an essential component of effective evaluation of the intended purpose. The English questionnaire had been designed to measure current status of physiotherapy practice in cancer rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to culturally adapt, including translation and preliminary validation of the questionnaire for the cancer patients. A custom-made, validated version of the English self-administered questionnaire consisting of 30 items was translated into Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam languages. The process of translation included recommended methodology, mandating forward translation, backward translation, reconciliation and pretesting steps, was followed. Tool validation included assessing content accuracy and clarity. Process involved 13 jurors for the translation and content validation and 30 cancer patients for the face validity. All subjects were asked to complete the translated versions of the questionnaire, which was previously validated. The psychometric properties of the three regional language versions of the questionnaire for cancer patients employed during rehabilitation were good. Cognitive debriefing showed the regional language versions to be clear, relevant and comprehensive. The translated and adapted versions are comparable with the original English instrument in terms of content and accuracy and it is suitable to assess the current physiotherapy practice pattern in cancer rehabilitation settings.