Introduction:

Quality of life is an important outcome in paediatric cancer patients. Its evaluation at different times during the clinical course of the disease is essential for clinical practice focused on the needs of the patients. There is not a specific assessment tool for this purpose in Colombia.

Objective:

To perform the cultural adaptation of the quality of life scale PedsQL (Paediatric Quality of Life) Cancer Module, version 3.0 for use in Colombia.

Methods:

Permission for use of the scale was obtained and the algorithm steps of the Mapi Research Trust group were followed: Direct and independent translations of scale by two native Colombian Spanish speaking translators, obtaining a preliminary version from the translations. This was followed by a back translation by a native English speaking translator and a review of the process by the author of the scale, inclusion of suggestions, and implementation of the pilot study.

Results:

Direct translations were similar in the instructions and response options; a consensus meeting in 8 of the 27 items was required to choose the best translation. The author made no suggestions and gave his endorsement to the implementation of the pilot, in which, 2 items were modified in order to improve their understanding.

Conclusions:

There is a Colombian Spanish version of the PedsQL questionnaire 3.0 Cancer Module, to be submitted for a validation study prior to its use in the assessment of quality of life in paediatric cancer patients.

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