Health-related quality of life in chronic stroke: Translation and validation of the Romanian stroke and aphasia quality of life scale-39 g (RO-SAQOL-39 g) questionnaire.

Abstract

In the clinical context of stroke, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is a crucial patient-reported outcome measure that is frequently used to assess the effectiveness of neurorehabilitation programs. Despite its significance, the absence of a stroke-specific quality-of-life instrument translated into Romanian and validated for use in Romanian stroke patients, including those with aphasia, presents a notable gap in current research. This study briefly describes the translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale-39 g (SAQOL-39 g) into Romanian (RO-SAQOL-39 g). Subsequently, the results of a prospective cohort study on psychometric validation of the RO-SAQOL-39 g are presented. In enrolled stroke patients, measures such as the Barthel Index, HRQOL, and indices of stroke severity including NIHSS, MRC scale for Muscle Strength, and mRS were used. The RO-SAQOL-39 g exhibited excellent reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.95 for total score) and repeatability (ICC = 0.96). Moreover, the RO-SAQOL-39 g demonstrated utility as a metric of stroke burden in differentiating between mild and moderate-to-severe stroke, as assessed by NIHSS scores (p = 0.004). In summary, the RO-SAQOL-39 g exhibits promising attributes as a tool for assessing HRQOL in post-stroke individuals.