Results of linguistic and cross-cultural validation of the PROM-HISS questionnaire for patients with hemorrhoidal disease

AIM: to perform language adaptation into Russian and cross-cultural validation of PROM-HISS for its use in the Russian Federation. METHODS: the questionnaire was translated by two independent translators, then combined and discussed with a working group including a proctologist and medical translation specialists. A back-translation was conducted to ensure quality control and conceptual fidelity to the original. Ten patients with varying stages of chronic haemorrhoids (Goligher’s classification) participated in cross-cultural validation using cognitive interviews. The clarity, completeness, and relevance of the questions and answer options were discussed. RESULTS: the translated version, PROM-HISS_RU, has good external and content validity and adequately reflects the haemorrhoids symptoms, their impact on quality of life, and treatment satisfaction. Participants rated the questionnaire as understandable, informative and compact. During the validation, minimal language and terminology corrections were made while maintaining the semantic structure of the questionnaire. CONCLUSION: the PROM-HISS_RU questionnaire is an effective tool for assessing the symptoms of haemorrhoids, its impact on daily activities and satisfaction of patients with treatment.