Spanish validation of the University of Washington Quality of Life questionnaire for head and neck cancer patients.
OBJECTIVE
The University of Washington Quality of Life (UW-QOL) questionnaire is one of the most widely used instruments to evaluate the quality of life of head and neck cancer patients. The aim of this study was to perform a Spanish translation and validation of the UW-QOL questionnaire.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study.


METHODS
Three tertiary-care hospitals and a laryngectomee rehabilitation center.


METHODS
The translation and cultural adaptation of the questionnaire were performed following accepted international guidelines. The psychometric validation was performed on a consecutive series of patients treated for squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract with no signs of relapse, recruited from May 2007 to December 2008. Eligible subjects were invited to complete the Spanish version of the UW-QOL questionnaire during routine clinical consultation, and complete it again within 15 days. Subjects also completed a validated Spanish version of the Goldberg Mental Health Survey and were evaluated by the use of the Karnofsky Index.


RESULTS
A Spanish version of the questionnaire was developed in iterative fashion. In the psychometric validation process, a total of 76 patients were analyzed. Reliability was excellent, including both internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha of 0.84) and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient between 0.91 and 0.97 with a confidence interval of 95%). Construct validity was supported by statistically significant relationships between the Karnofsky Index, the Goldberg Mental Health Survey, and the translated UW-QOL questionnaire.


CONCLUSIONS
The Spanish version of the UW-QOL questionnaire appears to be culturally appropriate and psychometrically valid.
Department of Otolaryngology, Clínica Las Condes, Santiago, Chile. gnazar@clc.cl
Gonzalo
G
Nazar
María Luisa
ML
Garmendia
Michel
M
Royer
Jennifer A
JA
McDowell
Ernest A
EA
Weymuller
Bevan
B
Yueh
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000628:therapy; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D054521:Cultural Competency; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D014177:Translations