title: Translation, cultural adaptation and reproducibility of the Cochin Hand Functional Scale questionnaire for Brazil.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To translate, to perform a cultural adaptation of and to test the reproducibility of the Cochin Hand Functional Scale questionnaire for Brazil.
  
  
  METHODS
  First, the Cochin Hand Functional Scale questionnaire was translated into Portuguese and was then back-translated into French. These translations were reviewed by a committee to establish a Brazilian version of the questionnaire to be tested. The validity and reproducibility of the Cochin Hand Functional Scale questionnaire was evaluated. Patients of both sexes, who were aged 18 to 60 years and presented with rheumatoid arthritis affecting their hands, were interviewed. The patients were initially interviewed by two observers and were later interviewed by a single rater. First, the Visual Analogue Scale for hand pain, the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Disability questionnaire and the Health Assessment Questionnaire were administered. The third administration of the Cochin Hand Functional Scale was performed fifteen days after the first administration. Ninety patients were assessed in the present study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two questions were modified as a result of the assessment of cultural equivalence. The Cronbach's alpha value for this assessment was 0.93. The intraclass intraobserver and interobserver correlation coefficients were 0.76 and 0.96, respectively. The Spearman's coefficient indicated that there was a low level of correlation between the Cochin Hand Functional Scale and the Visual Analogue Scale for pain (0.46) and that there was a moderate level of correlation of the Cochin Scale with the Health Assessment Questionnaire (0.66) and with the Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire (0.63). The average administration time for the Cochin Scale was three minutes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Brazilian version of the Cochin Hand Functional Scale was successfully translated and adapted, and this version exhibited good internal consistency, reliability and construct validity.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Aline
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chiari
authors.forename: Carla Caires de Souza
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Sardim
authors.forename: Jamil
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Natour
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012213:Rheumatic Fever / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014177:Translations; D055815:Young Adult