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. 2024 Jul;61(7):1081-1086.
doi: 10.1177/10556656231162454. Epub 2023 Mar 7.

Finnish Translation and Linguistic Validation of the CLEFT-Q Questionnaire

Mikael Westerlund  1 , Arja Heliövaara  2 , Junnu Leikola  2 , Pauliina Homsy  1
Affiliations

Finnish Translation and Linguistic Validation of the CLEFT-Q Questionnaire

Mikael Westerlund et al. Cleft Palate Craniofac J. 2024 Jul.

Abstract

Objective: Cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) can have long-lasting effects on the appearance, function, and psychosocial wellbeing of patients. The CLEFT-Q questionnaire is a patient-reported outcomes instrument specifically designed to assess the health-related quality of life of patients with CL/P. The aim of this study was to produce and linguistically validate a Finnish version of the CLEFT-Q questionnaire.

Design: The CLEFT-Q questionnaire was translated into Finnish following guidelines of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research. Pilot testing with cognitive debriefing interviews was conducted on patients of the target age range of the questionnaire, 8-29, and with various cleft types.

Results: The CLEFT-Q questionnaire translated readily into Finnish. A review of the backward translation led to two words being changed. Thirteen patients - ten females and three males - with a median age of 14 years, participated in the cognitive debriefing interviews. The interviews led to further nine word changes. The pilot study data suggested that the performance of the Finnish version of the instrument is in line with the original CLEFT-Q questionnaire.

Conclusions: The Finnish version of CLEFT-Q produced here is linguistically valid and ready for use in the evaluation of the health-related quality of life of patients with CL/P. However, future work is needed to further assess the validity and the reliability of the CLEFT-Q in the Finnish patient population.

Keywords: esthetics; psychosocial adjustment; quality of life; scarring.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Steps of the translation process of the CLEFT-Q questionnaire.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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