Translation and cultural adaptation of an instrument evaluating design quality in residential care facilities

• INTRODUCTION: The population is rapidly ageing and in the near future the number of elderly will exceed the number of children. Society faces a huge challenge providing older persons high quality care and a dignified old age. With increasing levels of frailty many older people are depending on the physical environment in order to manage their everyday life, and the building design is essential in supporting quality of life and person-centered care. However, methods for evaluating design quality in residential care facilities are lacking, especially in terms of person-centeredness. A British instrument was chosen on the basis that it captures several aspects in the care environment of importance for the quality of life and care for older people.AIM: This study aims at describing the process of translating and culturally adapting a British instrument for evaluating design quality in Swedish care facilities for older people. METHOD and RESULT: The process involves seven phases; forward translation, reconciliation, back translation, harmonization, cognitive debriefing, proof-reading and pre-testing. In the first phase the items were translated from the source to the target language followed by discussions between the researchers and the translator for reconciliation. Then the items were translated from the target language back into the source language. After language harmonization the instrument was reviewed and discussed by an expert group in order to identify imprecise concepts and receive valuable comments. Finally, the items were proof-read to correct typographical errors before pre-testing the instrument. Experiences and challenges of the procedure are discussed.CONCLUSION: Cultural appropriate instruments are essential in order to validly measure the design quality in residential care facilities. This study shows the complexity of translating and adapting a British instrument for use in a Swedish care context.

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Health and Welfare

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