Translation and Validation of a French Language Version of the Cornell Assessment Pediatric Delirium Tool

Objective: Delirium is common in pediatric intensive care patients but under-recognized by clinicians when not using a delirium-screening tool. The objective of this study was to translate and validate the French version of the Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium (CAPD) scale. Patients and methods: The accepted method of "back-translation" was used. The CAPD was translated into French language by an official translator and a native French-speaking and bilingual physician. Both versions were harmonized and this version was back-translated into English by a native English-speaking physician. This translation was then compared to the source version by the original authors, who approved the translation. The French version of the scale was tested on 25 patients admitted to our 32-bed medical and surgical Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Each patient was assessed independently by two nurses. Inter-rater reliability was tested using the Kappa coefficient. Results: Fifty measurements were performed during 25 evaluations. The inter-rater agreement was almost perfect with a Kappa coefficient of 0.92. The median time required to complete the scale was 51 seconds. Conclusion: The French version of the CAPD scale is valid and reproducible in a pediatric intensive care setting.