Validation and adaptation of the Arabic version of the Tonsil and Adenoid Health Status Instrument

Objectives: Validation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Tonsil and Adenoid Health Status study tool, in Arabic while studying its psychometric properties. Study design: prospective -validation study. Settings: Multiple tertiary centers. Patients/and other participants: 63 consecutive patients who underwent tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy operation (pre-operative and 6 months post-operative) and 65 asymptomatic controls. Intervention/methods: following: Guidelines for the cross-cultural adaptation process, to translate the original English language version into an Arabic language one. Main outcome measures: We assessed the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the TAHSI (A-TAHSI) its feasibility, reproducibility, internal consistency, reliability, discriminatory validity and responsiveness to change. Results: The Mann-Whitney test showed a statistically significant difference for the mean score between the patients and the control group denoting good clinical validity. The Cronbach's coefficient value for the A- TAHSI for 63 cases was 0.983, demonstrating good internal consistency. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed a marked improvement in the patients' scores 6 months post-operatively. Spearman's rank and Pearson's correlations were used to correlate the level of resemblance of the mean score of the A-TAHSI, which showed statistically significant results. Conclusions: The A-TAHSI is a valid instrument for evaluating the subjective effect of tonsillectomy on the health and quality of life and hence is recommended to be used in tonsillectomy research and daily practice.