Abstract
Background: Chronic kidney disease is on the rise in sub-Saharan African countries such as Uganda, and patients often present with advanced disease requiring kidney replacement therapies. Health-related quality of life is a key outcome in chronic kidney disease management but, in Uganda, no tools have been validated to measure this. The aim of this study was to culturally adapt and validate the Kidney Disease Quality of Life-Short Form version 1.3 (KDQOL-SF™) questionnaire for use in the Ugandan setting.
Methods: We conducted a four-phase, mixed-methods study which included translation, cultural adaptation, optimisation of face validity and field testing. Our participants included healthcare workers, and patients aged 18 years with an estimated glomerular filtration rate 0.70, indicating acceptable internal consistency. The tool demonstrated discriminant validity, with patients with comorbidities reporting lower quality of life scores, as postulated.
Conclusions: The Luganda and English versions of the KDQOL-SF questionnaire have sufficient face and content validity, reliability and acceptability to assess the quality of life of patients with kidney failure in Uganda.