Ready for transition to adult care? Validation of the Polish version of the Transition Readiness Assessment Questionnaire for adolescents with spina bifida (TRAQ-SB).

Introduction: Guidelines for transition from paediatric to adult care are being introduced around the world. There are tools available in the English-language literature to assess a patient's readiness to transition. The aim of the study was to adapt the English-language version of the Transition Readiness Assessment Questionnaire for patients with spina bifida (TRAQ-SB).

Material and methods: The questionnaire was translated into Polish following the established procedure. Two native Polish speakers who declared a very good command of English translated the TRAQ-SB into Polish. Then, 2 native English speakers who declared fluency in Polish and who did not know the content of the original questionnaire, independently translated it back into English. The outcome was assessed and the discrepancies related to different healthcare systems were corrected and approved with the author of the TRAQ-SB. The TRAQ-SB-PL scale was also checked for reliability, construct validity, and internal consistency in a pilot study. Fifty-two spina bifida patients aged 13 to 18 years were recruited.

Results: Static analysis revealed a 3-domain structure of the 26-item version of the TRAQ-SB-PL: "Autonomy", "Health literacy", and "Adherence". The internal consistency of the total score was good (0.734). Age had a significant effect on the TRAQ-SB-PL-26 score. There was no statistically significant difference between girls and boys.

Conclusions: The TRAQ-SB-PL-26 is a reliable tool that can also be used in the Polish population. It will help to identify teenagers who need more attention during the transition process. The survey will raise awareness of the transition and may be used for educational purposes.