Objetivo: Realizar a tradução para a língua portuguesa e a adaptação cultural para uso no Brasil do Quality of Communication Questionnaire (QOC) para pacientes com DPOC em cuidados paliativos. Métodos: Após a aprovação do autor do questionário e do comitê de ética da instituição, a versão original do QOC com 13 itens foi traduzida, de forma independente, por dois tradutores brasileiros com fluência na língua inglesa. Uma síntese das duas traduções foi realizada por uma médica bilíngue e os dois tradutores, que chegaram a um consenso, gerando uma versão na língua portuguesa. Essa versão foi retraduzida por dois tradutores nativos de países de língua inglesa com fluência na língua portuguesa. Para resolver quaisquer discrepâncias, um comitê de especialistas comparou a versão original com todas as versões produzidas e, assim, obteve-se a versão pré-final do QOC. O pré-teste foi aplicado em 32 pacientes internados em UTIs de três hospitais públicos da grande Florianópolis (SC) para avaliar a clareza e a aceitabilidade cultural da versão pré-final do QOC. Resultados: A média de idade dos pacientes foi de 48,5 ± 18,8 anos. A maioria dos itens foi bem compreendida e aceita, recebendo pontuações ≥ 8. Um item, sobre morte, suscitou dificuldades na compreensão dos participantes do pré-teste. Ao submeter a retradução ao autor do QOC, ele solicitou alterações em dois itens, que foram acatadas. Após essas alterações, a versão final foi aprovada. Conclusões: A tradução e a adaptação cultural do QOC para uso no Brasil foi concluída com sucesso.

Keywords: Doença pulmonar obstrutiva crônica; Inquéritos e questionários; Comunicação; Unidades de terapia intensiva.

Objective: To translate the Quebec Sleep Questionnaire (QSQ), a specific instrument for the assessment of quality of life in patients with sleep obstructive apnea, into Portuguese and to create a version that is cross-culturally adapted for use in Brazil. Methods: The Portuguese-language version was developed according to a rigorous methodology, which included the following steps: preparation; translation from English into Portuguese in three versions; reconciliation to a single version; back-translation of that version into English; comparison and harmonization of the back-translation with the original version; review of the Portuguese-language version; cognitive debriefing; text review; and arrival at the final version. Results: The Portuguese-language version of the QSQ for use in Brazil had a clarity score, as measured by cognitive debriefing, ranging from 0.81 to 0.99, demonstrating the consistency of translation and cross-cultural adaptation processes. Conclusions: The process of translating the QSQ into Portuguese and creating a version that is cross-culturally adapted for use in Brazil produced a valid instrument to assess the quality of life in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

Keywords: Obstructive sleep apnea, Quality of life; Translations; Validation studies.

Objective: To translate the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) 29-item Quality of Life Questionnaire-Lung Cancer Module (QLQ-LC29, developed for the assessment of quality of life in patients with lung cancer) to Portuguese, conducting a pilot study of the Portuguese-language version and adapting it for use in Brazil. Methods: For the translation, cultural adaptation, and pilot testing of the QLQ-LC29, we followed the guidelines established by the EORTC. The translation (English → Portuguese) and back-translation (Portuguese → English) were both carried out by translators, working independently, who were native speakers of one language and fluent in the other. After review, a draft version was created for pilot testing in lung cancer patients in Brazil. Results: A total of 15 patients diagnosed with lung cancer completed the Portuguese-language version of the questionnaire. At the end of the process, we conducted a structured interview to identify any patient difficulty in understanding any of the questions. The final versions were sent to the EORTC and were approved. Conclusions: The Portuguese-language version of the EORTC QLQ-LC29 appears to be a useful, important, reliable questionnaire that is a valid tool for assessing quality of life in patients with lung cancer in Brazil.

Keywords: Surveys and Questionnaires; Lung neoplasms; Quality of Life; Brazil; Translations.

Objective: To translate the Asthma Control and Communication Instrument (ACCI) to Portuguese and adapt it for use in Brazil. Methods: The ACCI was translated to Portuguese and adapted for use in Brazil in accordance with internationally accepted guidelines. The protocol included the following steps: permission and rights of use granted by the original author; translation of the ACCI from English to Portuguese; reconciliation; back-translation; review and harmonization of the back-translation; approval from the original author; review of the Portuguese version of the ACCI by an expert panel; cognitive debriefing (the clarity, understandability, and acceptability of the translated version being tested in a sample of the target population); and reconciliation and preparation of the final version. Results: During the cognitive debriefing process, 41 asthma patients meeting the inclusion criteria completed the ACCI and evaluated the clarity of the questions/statements. The clarity index for all ACCI items was > 0.9, meaning that all items were considered to be clear. Conclusions: The ACCI was successfully translated to Portuguese and culturally adapted for use in Brazil, the translated version maintaining the psychometric properties of the original version. The ACCI can be used in clinical practice because it is easy to understand and easily applied.

Background: Hyperhidrosis or excessive sudoresis is a chronic disease associated with important subjective distress. Objective: To propose a specific questionnaire to evaluate the quality of life of patients with hyperhidrosis. Methods: From October 1995 to March 2002, 378 patients (234 females), with a mean age of 26.8 years, were evaluated before and after video-assisted thoracic sympathectomy. Results: Therapeutic success was obtained in 90% of the procedures. The recurrence rate was 10% for palmar and 11% for axillary hyperhidrosis; 27% of the patients who had recurrence were re-operated successfully. No serious complications were reported. Of the total number of patients, 91% answered to the quality of life questionnaire, and 86% of them reported improvement after the procedure. Conclusions: Thoracic sympathectomy is a therapeutic method capable of changing the quality of life of patients with hyperhidrosis. The questionnaire applied has shown these changes.

Keywords: Thoracic sympathectomy. Quality of life.

Objective: To translate the Understanding COPD (UCOPD) questionnaire into Portuguese, adapt it for use in Brazil, and assess its reliability. Methods: The UCOPD questionnaire consists of two sections, designated section A and section B. Section A comprises 18 items divided into three domains: "About COPD", "Managing Symptoms of COPD", and "Accessing Help and Support". Section B includes five questions regarding patient satisfaction with the educational component of pulmonary rehabilitation programs. The UCOPD questionnaire was applied twice on the same day by two different raters (with a 10-min interval between applications) and once again 15-20 days later. The Wilcoxon test was used in order to compare the scores among applications. Reliability was assessed by the intraclass correlation coefficient and Bland-Altman plots. Results: The study sample consisted of 50 COPD patients (35 men; mean age, 65.3 ± 7.91 years; mean FEV1, 36.4 ± 16.2% of the predicted value). Inter-rater intraclass correlation coefficients for section A total scores and domain scores ranged from moderate to high. Section A scores and domain scores had no significant differences regarding test-retest reliability (p < 0.05). The test-retest and inter-rater Cronbach's alpha coefficients for section A total scores were 0.93 and 0.86, respectively (p < 0.001). There were no floor or ceiling effects. Conclusions: The Brazilian Portuguese version of the UCOPD questionnaire is reliable.

Keywords: Pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive; reproducibility of results; Health knowledge, attitudes, practice.

Objective: To translate, cross-culturally adapt to Brazilian Portuguese, and evaluate the reliability of the Telemedicine Satisfaction Questionnaire (TSQ). Methods: This cross-sectional study involved patients from the Smoking Prevention and Cessation Center (PrevFumo) who participated in at least four of the eight scheduled remote meetings with the PrevFumo psychologist in 2020, 2021, or 2022. Participants were contacted by telephone and asked to answer the 14 questions of the TSQ three times at intervals of 7 or 10 days. Results: We assessed 53 patients (73.3% women). The mean age was 49.7 ± 10.2 years. The mean smoking history was 35.32 ± 24.8 pack-years. Of the 53 patients evaluated, 30.2% had completed high school or had some higher education, and 32.1% were classified as socioeconomic class B2 (A being the highest and E being the lowest). Forty-nine (92.5%) of the patients attended all eight meetings. The TSQ with only three answer options showed high reliability, with approximately 90% agreement after three applications. Patients were satisfied with telemedicine. Conclusions: The TSQ is rapidly applied, is easy to complete, and showed high reliability in our patient sample. Patients declared that they were satisfied with their telemedicine experience.

Keywords: Telemedicine; Patient satisfaction; Surveys and questionnaires; Cross-cultural comparison; Smoking cessation.

Objective: To translate the Breathing Problems Questionnaire (BPQ) into Portuguese and adapt it to the Brazilian culture, as well as to evaluate its reproducibility in patients with COPD. Methods: After the BPQ had been translated and adapted to the Brazilian culture, it was administered to a subgroup of 8 patients in order to identify their uncertainties and difficulties. The questionnaire was reviewed by an expert committee, and its final version was arrived at. A second translator back-translated the final version into English, which was sent to the original author in order to verify that the original meaning of the questionnaire had been maintained. After the approval of the original author, the final Portuguese-language version of the questionnaire was administered to 50 patients with COPD, in order to evaluate its reproducibility. Results: The mean response time was 9.5 min. Of the 50 patients, 21 were female and 29 were male. The mean age was 65.8 ± 7.5 years. Most of the patients were classified as having moderate COPD (29.16%) or severe COPD (52%). The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for the total score was 0.94. The ICCs for the eleven BPQ domains and its two subscales were also above 0.70. Moderate correlations were found between the BPQ domains and subscales. Conclusions: The translation and cultural adaptation of the BPQ for use in Brazil was deemed appropriate, because the patients could easily understand and answer the questions. In addition, the Brazilian version of the BPQ questionnaire was found to be reliable, showing good reproducibility.

Keywords: Pulmonary disease; chronic obstructive; Quality of life; Reproducibility of results.

Objective: To translate the King's Brief Interstitial Lung Disease (K-BILD) questionnaire to Portuguese and culturally adapt it for use in Brazil. The K-BILD quantifies the health status of patients with ILD. Methods: The process involved the following steps: authorization from the author of the original (English-language) questionnaire; translation of the questionnaire to Portuguese by three translators, working independently; merging of the translations by a committee of specialists; back-translation of the questionnaire to English; revision and readjustment of the back-translation by the committee of specialists; evaluation by the original author; revision of the back-translation; cognitive debriefing (verification of the clarity and acceptability of the Portuguese-language version in the target population-i.e., patients with ILD); and finalization of the Portuguese-language version. Results: In the cognitive debriefing step, 20 patients with ILD were interviewed. After the interviews, the clarity and acceptability index of each question was ≥ 0.8, which is considered acceptable. Conclusions: The Portuguese-language version of K-BILD appears to be easily administered to and understood by patients with ILD in Brazil. To our knowledge, this is the only instrument in Brazilian Portuguese that is designed to evaluate the impact that ILD has on the various aspects of the lives of those it affects.

Keywords: Lung diseases, interstitial; Pulmonary fibrosis; Surveys and questionnaires.

Objective: To assess the psychometric properties of the official Brazilian Portuguese-language version of the Paediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ) in a representative group of Brazilian children and adolescents with asthma. Methods: A total of 125 individuals with asthma, aged 8-17 years and being monitored at a pediatric pulmonology outpatient clinic in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil, completed the PAQLQ. Validity was assessed by means of convergent validity (correlation between PAQLQ domains and those of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 4.0. Reliability was assessed by determining internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient), reproducibility (intraclass correlation coefficient), sensitivity to change (effect size), and discriminatory power (floor/ceiling effects). Results: The mean age was 11 years, and 75 (60%) of the participants were male. The mean PAQLQ total score was 5.1, with floor/ceiling effects < 10%. Correlations between PAQLQ domains and the PedsQL 4.0 domains were acceptable (r = 0.37-0.40). The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the total score was 0.93, ranging from 0.72 to 0.88 for the domains. The overall effect size was 0.60 (range: 0.45-0.60), whereas the overall intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.80 (range: 0.66-0.79). Conclusions: The official Brazilian Portuguese-language version of the PAQLQ showed good psychometric performance, confirming its cultural adequacy for use in Brazil.

Keywords: Keywords: Quality of life; Asthma; Validation studies.

Objective: To assess the quality of life (QoL) of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) followed at a university referral center for CF. Methods: A cross-sectional study involving application of the Cystic Fibrosis Questionnaire (CFQ) and Shwachman score in CF patients between April of 2008 and June of 2009. Results: The sample consisted of 75 patients. The mean age was 12.5 ± 5.1 years (range, 6.1-26.4 years). The patients were divided into three groups by age in years: group I (< 12), II (12-14), and III (≥ 14). The highest and lowest CFQ scores were for the nutrition domain in group III (89.3 ± 16.2) and the social domain in group II (59.5 ± 22.3), respectively. Groups I and III differed significantly regarding the treatment domain (p = 0.001). Regarding Shwachman scores, there were significant differences between patients scoring ≤ 70 and those scoring > 70 in the social (group I; p = 0.045), respiratory (group II; p = 0.053), and digestive (p = 0.042) domains. In group III, severity did not correlate with QoL. In groups I and II, patients with an FEV1 < 80% of predicted did not differ from other patients for any CFQ domain. However, in group III, values for the following domains were significantly lower in patients with an FEV1 < 80%: physical (p = 0.012); body image (p = 0.031); respiratory (p = 0.023), emotional (p = 0.041); and social role (p = 0.024). Conclusions: It is important to assess QoL in CF patients, because it can improve treatment compliance.

Keywords: Cystic fibrosis; Quality of life; Questionnaires.

Objective: To translate the Pediatric Asthma Control and Communication Instrument (PACCI) to Portuguese and adapt it for use in Brazil, ensuring the cultural validity of the content and semantic equivalence of the target version. Methods: The Brazilian Portuguese-language version of the PACCI was developed according to the most commonly used methodology, which included the following steps: translation; synthesis of the translation; review by the author of the original questionnaire; back-translation; synthesis of the back-translation; review by a native external researcher who is a native speaker of English; approval of the author of the original questionnaire; review by a specialist in Portuguese; review by a multidisciplinary committee of experts to determine the agreement of the items, considering the clarity of each and its appropriateness in the cultural context; cognitive debriefing; and development of the final version. The cognitive debriefing involved 31 parents/legal guardians of children 1-21 years of age with a clinical diagnosis of asthma, as defined by the Global Initiative for Asthma, with the objective of determining the comprehensibility and clarity of the items for the target population. Results: The multidisciplinary committee of experts indicated that the items on the questionnaire were clear and comprehensible, with kappa values above 0.61, indicating substantial agreement. In the cognitive debriefing, the parents/legal guardians presented no difficulties in understanding any of the items (agreement > 0.90); therefore, no further changes were needed.Conclusions: The translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the PACCI for use in Brazil were successful.

Keywords: Surveys and questionnaires; Translating; Asthma; Child; Adolescent.

Objective: To translate The Manchester Respiratory Activities of Daily Living (MRADL) questionnaire into Portuguese and to create a version of the MRADL that is cross-culturally adapted for use in Brazil. Methods: The English-language version of the MRADL was translated into Portuguese by two health care researchers who were fluent in English. A consensus version was obtained by other two researchers and a pulmonologist. That version was back-translated into English by another translator who was a native speaker of English and fluent in Portuguese. The cognitive debriefing process consisted in having 10 COPD patients complete the translated questionnaire in order to test its understandability, clarity, and acceptability in the target population. On the basis of the results, the final Portuguese-language version of the MRADL was produced and approved by the committee and one of the authors of the original questionnaire. Results: The author of the MRADL questioned only a few items in the translated version, and some changes were made to the mobility and personal hygiene domains. Cultural differences regarding the domestic activities domain were found, in particular regarding the item "Do you have the ability to do a full clothes wash and hang them out to dry?", due to socioeconomic and climatic issues. The item "Do you take care of your garden?" was questioned by the participants who lived in apartments, being modified to "Do you take care of your garden or plants in your apartment?" Conclusions: The final Portuguese-language version of the MRADL adapted for use in Brazil was found to be easy to understand and easily applied.

Keywords: Activities of daily living; Questionnaires; Translations; Pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive.

Objective: To translate and perform a cross-cultural adaptation of the Snoring, Tiredness, Observed apnea, high blood Pressure, Body mass index, Age, Neck circumference, and Gender (STOP-Bang) questionnaire so that it can be used as a screening tool for the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea in Brazil. Methods: Based on the principles of good practice for the translation and cross-cultural adaptation of such instruments, the protocol included the following steps: acquisition of authorization from the lead author of the original questionnaire; translation of the instrument to Brazilian Portuguese, carried out by two translators; reconciliation; back-translation to English, carried out by two English teachers who are fluent in Portuguese; review of the back-translation; harmonization; review and approval of the questionnaire by the original author; cognitive debriefing involving 14 patients who completed the questionnaire; analysis of the results; and review and preparation of the final version of the instrument approved by the review committee. Results: The final version of the STOP-Bang questionnaire for use in Brazil showed a clarity score > 9 (on a scale of 1-10) for all of the questions. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.62, demonstrating the internal consistency of the instrument. The means and standard deviations of the age, body mass index, and neck circumference of the patients studied were 46.8 ± 11.2 years, 43.7 ± 8.5 kg/m2, and 41.3 ± 3.6 cm, respectively. Conclusions: The STOP-Bang questionnaire proved to be understandable, clear, and applicable. The original instrument and the translated version, cross-culturally adapted for use in Brazil, were consistently equivalent. Therefore, it can become a widely used screening tool for patients with suspected obstructive sleep apnea.

Keywords: Sleep apnea, obstructive; Questionnaires; Translations.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the applicability of a modified version of the Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire. The version evaluated elicits "agree" and "do not agree", rather than "yes" and "no", responses. The intention is to facilitate the comprehension of double-negative questions and to promote better recollection of symptoms by patients by shortening their symptom histories from 12 months to 3 months. Methods: A total of 30 clinically stable patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were evaluated. The Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire and the modified version of the same were administered 15 days apart. Results: All of the patients presented health-related alterations in their quality of life. Comparing mean scores between the two questionnaires, the greatest difference was seen in the Symptoms domain. No significant differences were found in any of the remaining domains or in the total scores. In a subsequent analysis, significant correlations between the two questionnaires were found in all domains: Symptoms (r = 0.71; p < 0.001); Activity (r = 0.75; p < 0.001); Impact (r = 0.73; p < 0.001) and Total (r = 0.86; p < 0.001). Conclusion: The modified version of the Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire is as effective as the original in gauging quality of life. However, various symptoms recollection time frames should be investigated in order to determine which would be the best time frame to employ in the analysis.

Keywords: Pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive; Quality of life; Reproducibility of results; Cross-cultural comparison; Questionnaires

Objective: The assessment of the quality of life in patients with lung cancer has become one of the main goals in current clinical trials. To assess the quality of life of these patients, the most widely used instrument is the 30-item European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Core Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) in conjunction with its supplemental 13-item lung cancer-specific module (QLQ-LC13). The objective of this study was to assess the reproducibility of the Brazilian Portuguese version of these questionnaires. Methods: A prospective study involving 30 stable outpatients with lung cancer who completed the instruments on the first day of the study and two weeks later. Results: The test-retest reproducibility using the intraclass correlation coefficient for the EORTC QLQ-C30 and the QLQ-LC13 ranged from 0.64 to 1.00 and from 0.64 to 0.95, respectively. No correlations were found between the domains of the instruments and clinical parameters. Conclusions: Our findings show that these instruments were reproducible in this sample of patients with lung cancer in Brazil.

Keywords: Lung neoplasms; Reproducibility of results; Quality of life.

The objective of this review was to present evidence of the relationship between allergic rhinitis and impairment of quality of life. The data sources were original articles, reviews and consensus statements entered into the Medline and LILACS databases between 1997 and 2008. The following search terms were used: "allergic rhinitis"; "quality of life"; and "sleep disorders". Quality of life is often impaired in patients with allergic rhinitis, due to the classic symptoms of the disease (sneezing, pruritus, rhinorrhea and nasal obstruction). In addition, the pathophysiology of allergic rhinitis often disrupts sleep, leading to fatigue, irritability, memory deficits, daytime sleepiness and depression. The total burden of this disease goes beyond impairment of physical and social functioning. It has also a financial impact, which becomes greater when we consider the evidence that allergic rhinitis is a possible causal factor of comorbidities, such as asthma and sinusitis. Nasal obstruction, the most prominent symptom, is associated with sleep disorders, which can have a profound effect on mental health, learning, behavior and attention. Finally, allergic rhinitis-a chronic condition that affects adults, adolescents and children-is often underdiagnosed or inadequately treated. The deleterious impact that allergic rhinitis-related sleep disorders have on patient capacity to perform activities of daily living is an important component of the morbidity of the disease. With an accurate diagnosis, there are various available treatments that can reduce the burden of allergic rhinitis.

Keywords: Rhinitis, allergic, perennial; Rhinitis, allergic, seasonal; Quality of life; Sleep disorders.

Objective: To determine the relationships that smoking history has with inflammatory markers, metabolic markers, body composition, muscle strength, and cardiopulmonary capacity in current smokers. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 65 smokers (age range: 18-60 years). On three non-consecutive days, each participant was evaluated in terms of smoking history, pre-existing comorbidities, lung function (by spirometry), peripheral muscle strength (by dynamometry), body composition (by bioelectrical impedance analysis), levels of metabolic/inflammatory markers, and maximum cardiopulmonary capacity (by treadmill exercise test). We evaluated the relationships that smoking history has with inflammatory markers, metabolic markers, body composition, muscle strength, and cardiopulmonary capacity, using logarithmic transformation of the data and calculating Pearson's correlation coefficient and for partial correlations adjusted for age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and comorbidities. To identify the influence of smoking history on pre-existing comorbidities, we used a logistic regression model adjusted for age, BMI, and duration of smoking. Results: Smoking history correlated significantly, albeit weakly, with triglyceride level (r = 0.317; p = 0.005), monocyte count (r = 0.308; p = 0.013), and waist circumference (r = 0.299; p = 0.017). However, those correlations did not retain their significance in the adjusted analysis. In the logistic regression model, smoking more than 20 cigarettes/day correlated significantly with the presence of metabolic diseases (OR = 0.31; 95% CI: 1.009-1.701; p = 0.043). Conclusions: In this sample of smokers, smoking history correlated positively with the triglyceride level, the monocyte count, and waist circumference. The prevalence of metabolic disease was highest in those who smoked more than 20 cigarettes/day.

Keywords: Tobacco; Smoking; Triglycerides; Monocytes; Waist circumference; Body composition.