Thirst Distress Scale for Patients With Heart Failure: Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Preliminary Psychometric Assessment in Brazil.

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Thirst-related distress in individuals with heart failure (HF) is associated with exacerbated symptoms. This study aimed to culturally adapt the Thirst Distress Scale for Patients with Heart Failure (TDS-HF) for Brazil and assess the content validity of the adapted version. Methods: The TDS-HF was translated, back-translated, and evaluated for linguistic equivalence, clarity, relevance, and pertinence by seven professional experts. The adapted TDS-HF was administered to 40 patients with HF, who provided feedback on its understandability. Results: The adaptation achieved satisfactory evidence of linguistic equivalence and content validity, with a total content validity coefficient of 0.95. The patients understood the translated version effectively. Conclusion: The Brazilian TDS-HF maintains linguistic equivalence to the original version and demonstrates satisfactory evidence of content validity. Further psychometric testing is deemed necessary for implementation.