Abstract
Background: Assessing and evaluating health care is important, and an abundance of instruments are developed in different languages. Translating existing, validated instruments is demanding and calls for adherence to protocol.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to translate and culturally adapt the FAMCARE-2 scale for use in Sweden.
Methods: Traditional back-translation and the decentering stance were utilized and assessed. Experts in palliative care clinic and research were involved; the FAMCARE-2 instrument was discussed with family caregivers and content validity was assessed by experienced health professionals.
Results: Significant discrepancies were not revealed by back-translation. Using the decentering stance gave reliable structure and opportunities for reflection throughout the translation process.
Discussion: Translating an existing instrument into a second language requires interpretation and adaptation more than a naive translation. The back-translation process may be enhanced if the decentering stance is adopted.
Acknowledgements
First and foremost, the authors would like to thank all family caregivers, health professionals and researchers involved in translations, back-translations and expert committee meetings for willingly sharing their time and resources to participate in this study.
Declaration of interest
The authors would like to express our gratitude to Sophiahemmet University and Sophiahemmet Foundation for Clinical Research for financial support to allow completion of this study. The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.