The Chinese language version of the abbreviated burn specific health scale: a validation study.
BACKGROUND
The Burn Specific Health Scale (BSHS) is designed to measure burn-specific, health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the abbreviated BSHS (BSHS-A).


METHODS
The English version of the BSHS-A was translated into Chinese using a standardised procedure. The participants were 457 patients classified into three severity groups (mild, moderate and severe). All patients completed the Chinese BSHS-A questionnaire, the Short Form-36 (SF-36) and the EuroQol 5-Dimensions (EQ-5D). To evaluate clinical utility of the BSHS-A, we used Cronbach's alpha (internal consistency), intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs; test-retest reliability) and construct validity (using the SF-36 and EQ-5D).


RESULTS
Cronbach's alpha for all subscales was >0.80, demonstrating high internal consistency of the BSHS-A (Chinese version). The ICC was >0.70 for each patient group. Strong correlations were observed between the BSHS-A and SF-36 and EQ-5D scales. Neither floor nor ceiling effects were found.


CONCLUSIONS
The present study demonstrated that the BSHS-A (Chinese version) has good psychometric properties, showing suitable internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The BSHS-A may, thus, be useful for assessing HRQoL in Chinese burn victims. However, adaptations may be required to reduce its length.
Department of Nursing, Military General Hospital of Chengdou Region, 270# Rongdou Avenue, Chengdou 610083, China.
Dong-Wen
DW
Li
Department of Nursing, Military General Hospital of Chengdou Region, 270# Rongdou Avenue, Chengdou 610083, China. Electronic address: cdhlb1177@163.com.
Wen-Qing
WQ
Liu
Department of Nursing, Military General Hospital of Chengdou Region, 270# Rongdou Avenue, Chengdou 610083, China.
Hong-Mei
HM
Wang
Department of Nursing, Military General Hospital of Chengdou Region, 270# Rongdou Avenue, Chengdou 610083, China.
Ying-Sun
Department of Nursing, Military General Hospital of Chengdou Region, 270# Rongdou Avenue, Chengdou 610083, China.
Lin
L
Cui
Nursing Department of NanTong University, 9# Qixiu Road, Nantong 226001, China.
Fang-Fang
FF
Zhao
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002056:Burns / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
Abbreviated Burn Specific Health Scale (BSHS-A); Burn; China; Health-related quality of life (HRQoL); Reliability and validity