EVALUATION OF THE IMPACT OF HEARING LOSS IN ADULTS: TRANSLATION, CULTURAL ADAPTATION AND VALIDATION OF A QUESTIONNAIRE IN PORTUGAL

Resumen

Objectives: Evaluation of the impact of hearing loss in adults (ERSA) is a questionnaire that assesses the specific quality of life of hearing-impaired adults with or without auditory rehabilitation. The aim of our study was to adapt ERSA questionnaire to the Portuguese reality and validate the version obtained for use in Portugal. 

Material and Methods: We applied the final ERSA questionnaire to patients with hearing loss and auditory rehabilitation followed in a single institute. We translated ERSA questionnaire into European Portuguese and then we proceeded with the evaluation of the questionnaire regarding its feasibility and reliability (internal consistency and test-retest reproducibility). 

Results: We obtained a good internal consistency, with a general Cronbach’s α coefficient of 0.878. We also obtained an excellent test-retest reproducibility (p< 0.001), with a general Pearson coefficient of 0.948 (p<0.001) and a general Cohen Kappa coefficient of 0.787 (p<0.001).

Discussion: In the evaluation of internal consistency and test-retest reproducibility we obtained results comparable to the ones obtained by the ERSA authors, which prove the excellent feasibility and reliability of the Portuguese version.

Conclusions: Until now, there were no validated questionnaires to evaluate quality of life in patients with hearing loss with or without auditory rehabilitation in Portugal. Translation and validation of ERSA questionnaire will allow a more consistent and complete assessment of the specific quality of life of hearing-impaired adults and the comparison with international data. Thus, we recommend this version to be used in the Portuguese population with hearing loss.