# Polish Translation and Linguistic Validation of the SCAR-Q

## TL;DR

This study translated and validated a scar assessment questionnaire for use in Polish patients, ensuring it is accurate and easy to understand.

## Contribution

The study provides a validated Polish version of the SCAR-Q questionnaire for assessing scar treatment outcomes.

## Key findings

- The translated SCAR-Q questionnaire had 29 items across three scales related to scars.
- Cognitive interviews showed no major comprehension issues among Polish patients.
- The back translation showed no significant differences from the original English version.

## Abstract

Introduction

Patient-reported outcome measurements (PROMs) are gaining considerable popularity as tools to assess the effectiveness of the treatment in plastic surgery, being a complement to surgical outcomes. The SCAR-Q questionnaire has been recently developed for patients with surgical, traumatic, and burn scars.

Aim

The study aims to describe the process of translation and linguistic validation of the scar questionnaire (SCAR-Q) for use in Polish patients undergoing scar treatment.

Material and methods

An official Polish translation and language validation of the SCAR-Q were done in adherence to International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) guidelines. The process consisted of four steps: two independent forward translations, a back translation, a review of the back translation, and cognitive participant interviews.

Results

The field-tested version of the SCAR-Q consisted of 29 items across three scales measuring appearance concerns, symptoms, and the psychosocial impact of the scar. The forward translation was done by two independent translators and revealed specific difficulties in translation to the Polish language (4/29 items). The back translation showed no significant differences compared to the original English version. Cognitive debriefing interviews involved nine Polish patients with postraumatic scars, burn scars, and scars after skin tumor resection. Participants have not reported any major difficulties in understanding the content of the questionnaire.

Conclusions

The ISPOR provides a straightforward and thorough guideline for the PROMs translation process. The new SCAR-Q is an accessible and efficient PROM that can be implemented in Polish patients to assess the effectiveness of scar treatment.