Burnt hand outcomes tool: Translation, adaptation and validation into Brazilian Portuguese

Abstract

IntroductionIn burn trauma, hands are often injured due to defensive action or proximity to the causative agent, leading to significant morbidity during a patients work and social rehabilitation process. In this context, the use of patient-reported outcome measures is a first step in measuring and improving these outcomes. The Burned Hand Outcome Tool (BHOT) is a specific questionnaire for adults with burned hands aimed at quantifying outcomes related to this trauma. ObjectiveTo translate, culturally adapt, and validate the BHOT into Brazilian Portuguese. MethodsFollowing established standards in the literature, the original English questionnaire was translated, back translated, and analyzed by a panel of experts in the field. Cultural adaptation of the translation was carried out with a sample of target patients. The questionnaire was validated concurrently with the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) questionnaire translated into Portuguese, at three time points (0 h, 2 h, 48 h), with two different evaluators. ResultsThe cultural adaptation was conducted on a sample of 30 adult patients with hand burns without the need for reassessment of the translated items. The questionnaire validation was carried out on a sample of 100 adult patients with hand burns. The Cronbach's Alpha found at the first time point was 0.936. The correlations between the questionnaires varied from 0.656 to 0.915. ConclusionThe Burned Hand Outcome Tool has been translated, culturally adapted, and validated for a target population in Brazilian Portuguese.