JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The Cardiff Acne Disability Index (CADI) is a validated measurement instrument for quality of life evaluation in young acne patients. The original version was designed in English and has been translated to other languages. An adaptation for the Romanian language was lacking.

Objective:

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the comprehensibility of the adaptation for Romanian language of the Cardiff Acne Disability Index, in a small sample of acne patients

Methods:

Guided by the team at the Cardiff University, we underwent the stages of the standardized translation process: forward translation, reconciliation of translated versions, back translation and cognitive debriefing. The latter stage, involved applying the CADI to a small sample of patients, followed by individual interviews in which each question was discussed. Ethical approval was obtained for the cognitive debriefing stage. We administered this measure as an online form. The completion time for each individual question and for the entire survey were automatically recorded. The interviews assessing the comprehensibility and suitability for Romanian language and culture were also held as live online meetings.

Results:

Seven acne patients were included, 4 females and 3 males, aged between 19 and 34 years. All subjects were native speakers of Romanian language. They had mild or moderate acne. Mean completion time for the survey was 3.28 minutes. The mean value for the CADI was 5.4286. All participants agreed that the language used in this quality of life measurement instrument was simple, clear and adequate in their native language.

Conclusions:

Despite epidemiologic restrictions against COVID-19, through teledermatology we achieved the cultural adaptation for the CADI, in a language which previously lacked a specific tool for assessing quality of life impairment in acne patients.