Evaluating design quality in older people's residential care facilities: Adaptation of the Sheffield Care Environment Assessment Matrix (SCEAM) for use in Sweden with focus on linguistic challenges.

• BackgroundThere is increasing interest in how the physical enviroment can support health and well-being in residential care facilities (RCF) for older people. A recent review showed a lack of instruments for evaluating design quality in RCF. The SCEAM was identified as an instrument appropriate for Swedish RCF. SCEAM is a British instrument, developed to evaluate building design of RCF. The instrument is person-centered and uses the needs of frail older people as the basis for understanding how well the residential care facility is designed. AimThe aim of the present study was to translate, adapt, and further develop the SCEAM instrument for use in Sweden. Method The study had a mixed-method design using both quantitative and qualitative methods ProcedureThe forward-backward translation method was used in five stages, broadly within two phases: translation and adaptation. The translation phase involved: 1) forward translation and 2) backward-translation. The adaptation phase involved: 3) first test of content validity of the target language instrument; 4) consultation and further adaptation; 5) final test of content validity of the revised target language instrument ResultsIn this paper we focus on the linguistic challenges in translation of an instrument developed to evaluate the quality of the physical environment of RCF. A lengthy process of translation of the Sheffield Care Environments Assessment Matrix (SCEAM) has produced an instrument that fill a need of an instrument with a strong focus on the importance of the physical environment of RCF in the society. The instrument has a potential for use when planning new environments, during interventions and follow up as for quality assessment. 

Keyword

Hälsa och välfärd

Health and Welfare

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

kon (subject category)