Cultural adaptation and validation for Brazilian portuguese of the MENTOR tool: monitoring the efficacy of neurogenic bowel treatment.

Study design: Cross-sectional study of cultural adaptation and validation.

Objectives: To translate and validate the MENTOR Tool, an instrument designed to monitor the effectiveness of treatment for neurogenic bowel dysfunction (NBD) and to support more objective clinical decision-making in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI).

Setting: Individuals with SCI treated at the Anita Garibaldi Health Education and Research Center, Macaiba/RN, and at Oswaldo Cruz University Hospital, Recife/PE, Brazil.

Methods: Cross-cultural adaptation was conducted at two specialized referral centers for SCI, following the international methodology proposed by Guillemin et al. The MENTOR Tool was administered as an interview and reapplied after an interval of 7 to 21 days. In addition, participants completed the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS). The following measurement properties were evaluated: reproducibility, internal consistency, reliability, and construct validity.

Results: 50 individuals participated in the study. The MENTOR Tool demonstrated excellent reproducibility, with an intraclass correlation coeficiente (ICC) of 0.974, Internal consistency was acceptable, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.61. Construct Validity was supported by significant correlations between the final Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction Score (NBDS) and GSRS scores, as well as between GSRS scores and the final MENTOR rating. Additionally, statistically significant differences were observed among the three MENTOR categories.

Conclusions: The MENTOR tool was successfully translated and validated into Brazilian Portuguese, demonstrating reliability and reproducibility for monitoring bowel treatment effectiveness in individuals with SCI and supporting clinical decision-making in the management of NBD.