Translation and cultural adaptation of the Quality of Dying and Death Questionnaire (QoDD) into Portuguese (Brazil)

Abstract

Currently, Quality of Dying and Death (QoDD) have received little attention. Approaches and research in the health area to the end of life are relatively rare in the world and especially in Brazil. Quality of dying and Death has been attributed to the need for absence of pain in the period of the end of life, but there is a consensus that QoDD is more than the control of physical symptoms (such as pain), and that there are multiple dimensions inherent in this process. Thus, some American authors proposed a model for the evaluation of QoDD, Quality of Dying and Death Questionnaire, consisting of six conceptual domains: symptoms and personal care, preparation for death, moment of death, family, treatment preferences, and whole person concerns. These domains encompass 31 aspects and currently has 40 items. The objective of this research is to realize the translation and cultural adaptation of the Quality of Dying and Death Questionnaire to Portuguese (Brazil). Materials and Methods: A descriptive, methodological study, will be realized at Fundação Pio XII - Barretos Cancer Hospital. The process of translation and cultural adaptation will be performed by following five stages, which are translation, synthesis, back translation, review by a committee of experts and pretest, the latter will be conducted with 30 family caregivers of patients who have gone to death. It is expected to have an important objective tool for the evaluation QoDD of cancer patients and subsequently feasible to testing its psychometric properties. (AU)