Cross-cultural adaptation of an environmental health measurement instrument: Brazilian version of the health-care waste management • rapid assessment tool

• Published in: BMC public health Vol. 16; no. 1; p. 928
• Main Authors: Cozendey-Silva, Eliana Napoleão, da Silva, Cintia Ribeiro, Larentis, Ariane Leites, Wasserman, Julio Cesar, Rozemberg, Brani, Teixeira, Liliane Reis
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 05.09.2016; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Adaptation; Assessments; Brazil; Comprehension; Cross-Cultural Comparison; Cultural Competency; Developing countries; Environmental health; Environmental Health - methods; Environmental Health - standards; Environmental management; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Environmental Monitoring - standards; Equivalence; Evaluation; Generators; Health; Health care evaluation; Health care policy; Health services; Humans; International organizations; Language; LDCs; Legal issues; Measures; Medical research; Medical Waste; Medical wastes; Medicine, Experimental; Methods; Occupational accidents; Public health; Public health administration; Questionnaires; Rapid evaluation; Refuse and refuse disposal; Resource management; Risk Assessment - methods; Risk Assessment - standards; Semantics; Surveys and Questionnaires - standards; Translation; Translations; Waste Management; Brazil; Waste management; Health care evaluation; Cross-cultural comparison; Public policies; Environmental health; Rapid evaluation; Medical waste
• ISSN: 1471-2458; 1471-2458
• DOI: 10.1186/s12889-016-3618-4

Periodic assessment is one of the recommendations for improving health-care waste management worldwide. This study aimed at translating and adapting the Health-Care Waste Management - Rapid Assessment Tool (HCWM-RAT), proposed by the World Health Organization, to a Brazilian Portuguese version, and resolving its cultural and legal issues. The work focused on the evaluation of the concepts, items and semantic equivalence between the original tool and the Brazilian Portuguese version. A cross-cultural adaptation methodology was used, including: initial translation to Brazilian Portuguese; back translation to English; syntheses of these translation versions; formation of an expert committee to achieve consensus about the preliminary version; and evaluation of the target audience's comprehension. Both the translated and the original versions' concepts, items and semantic equivalence are presented. The constructs in the original instrument were considered relevant and applicable to the Brazilian context. The Brazilian version of the tool has the potential to generate indicators, develop official database, feedback and subsidize political decisions at many geographical and organizational levels strengthening the Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) mechanism. Moreover, the cross-cultural translation expands the usefulness of the instrument to Portuguese-speaking countries in developing regions. The translated and original versions presented concept, item and semantic equivalence and can be applied to Brazil.