Cross cultural adaptation and validation of the Latin American Spanish version of the Burn Specific Health Scale-Brief (BHSH-BE) questionnaire

Abstract

Introduction

The Burn-Specific Health Scale-Brief (BSHS-B) questionnaire is a widely validated tool for assessing health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with burns. There is no version appropriate for low- and middle-income Spanish-speaking countries. This study aimed to translate, culturally adapt, and psychometrically validate a version in Latin American Spanish (BSHS-BE).

Methods

First, we translated and culturally adapted the BSHS-B into Latin American Spanish. Then, the questionnaire underwent psychometric validation and reliability evaluation using the Short-Form 36 Health Survey and the Patient Health Questionnaire-2.

Results

The BSHS-BE assessed the clinical relevance of each item in terms of content validity. The BSHS-BE demonstrated good discriminatory ability in patients with hand or face burns, TBSA > 15 %, required surgical intervention, and those at risk of depressive disorder. The relationship between the BSHS-BE and SF-36 was analyzed by estimating the correlation coefficients using Spearman’s rank. An exploratory factor analysis (EFC) was conducted using a seven-domain model, extracting factors using the Velicer Partial Mean Averages test, and analyzing with a maximum likelihood factor extraction with oblimin rotation to compute the factor structure of items of the BSHS-BE, explaining 71 % of variability. Internal consistency was determined for the BSHS-BE using Cronbach’s alpha for each domain and the total score.

Conclusion

The BSHS-BE is a valid, reliable, and culturally adapted tool for assessing the HRQoL of patients with burns, which supports multidisciplinary management, thereby improving quality of life.