Translation and validation of the Hindi version of the Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15H) questionnaire: A prospective cohort study

Background and Aims: The Quality of Recovery (QoR)-15 questionnaire is self-rated and commonly used to assess QoR following anaesthesia. QoR-15 has been validated in many languages, but the Hindi version (QoR-15H) has not yet undergone formal validation. We aimed to translate the QoR-15 questionnaire into Hindi and evaluate its validity and reliability in the Hindi-speaking population. Methods: The prospective cohort study was conducted among patients scheduled for elective general surgery under either general or regional anaesthesia. QoR-15H was used twice before surgery (T1 and T2; 30 min apart) and twice on postoperative day 1 (T3 and T4; 30 min apart). We assessed its validity, reliability and clinical feasibility. Results: A total of 300 patients were included. The recruitment and feasibility rates were 67.8% and 90.36%, respectively. A high negative correlation between the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS)-Pain and QoR-15H in both the preoperative and postoperative periods indicated significant convergent validity. Age, duration of surgery and total hospital stay were positively correlated with NRS and negatively correlated with QoR-15H scores. The optimal cut-off points of the QoR-15H score at par to NRS <= 3 equivalent was <95.5. The sensitivity and specificity were 96.6 and 1.0, respectively, indicating good discriminant power. For reliability, intraclass correlation coefficients were greater than 0.98 and Cronbach's alpha coefficient was greater than 0.9. Conclusion: The Hindi version of the QoR-15 questionnaire is valid, reliable and feasible for patients undergoing general surgeries under general and regional anaesthesia.