Translation, cultural adaptation and validation of the kidney disease quality of life-short form 1.3 in an African country

Background: The impact of dialysis on patient quality of life has been recognized as an important outcome measure. The Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study compared quality of life in 4 continents [1], but very scarce information is available about dialysis patients' quality of life in Africa. The objective of this study was to translate the Kidney Disease Quality of Life-Short Form (KDQOL-SF) into Moroccan and measure its psychometric properties.

Methods: The questionnaire was first translated into Moroccan by 2 independent translators, and then 2 backward translations into English were performed after pretesting in 10 dialysis patients. The final questionnaire was then administered to 80 dialysis patients. Reliability was estimated by internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Validity was assessed using known group comparisons and correlations between overall health rating and scales scores.

Results: Some activities were substituted since they were not common in Morocco. All subscales had a Cronbach α above the recommended value except for 3 scales. All of the items showed good test-retest reliability. Correlation of items within subscales was higher than that of items outside subscales in 87% of cases. Regarding construct validity, all KDQOL-SF scales had significant correlation with overall health rating except for sexual function and dialysis staff encouragement. Furthermore, the questionnaire could be used to discriminate between subgroups of the patients.

Conclusions: The psychometric properties of the KDQOL-SF resulting from this first-time administration of the instrument support the validity and reliability of the KDQOL-SF as a measure of quality of life of patients having hemodialysis in Morocco.