Abstract:

UNLABELLED: Theme: Cardiology Introduction: Measuring quality of life (QoL) in children and adolescents with congenital heart disease (CHD) is of great clinical importance. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was: (a) to adapt the PedsQL Cardiac Module for children aged two to 18 years with CHD in a sample of the Greek population; (b) to determine its reliability and validity. METHODS: Forward and backward translation methodology was used. Parents and children completed the instrument during: (a) hospitalization and (b) visits in the paediatric cardiology outpatient department. Cross-informant variance between children and parents was thoroughly assessed. RESULTS: Missing item responses did not exceed 5%. All internal consistency reliability coefficients for the inventory exceeded the minimum standards for group comparisons, over 0.75. Hypothesized correlations between cardiac module and core scales were statistically significant, (p<0.05). Agreement between children and parents was relatively high. Pilot study results will be additionally presented. CONCLUSION: The findings support the feasibility, reliability and validity of the Greek translation of the PedsQL Cardiac Module in children with congenital heart defect (CHD).