Aysegul Yildirim

Translation, Cultural Adaptation, Initial Reliability, and Validation of Turkish 15D’s Version A Generic Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) Instrument

This article describes the adaptation of the Finnish 15D standardized measure of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) instrument for use in Turkey and assesses its psychometric properties. The HRQoL is measured in a sample of 75 patients with Type 2 diabetes using both 15D and Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) instruments. The internal consistency within the domains of 15D was high, with Cronbach’s alpha values 0.89 for 15D scale and 0.89 for NHP. Significant correlations were observed between the scores of similar domains of 15D and the NHP in general health perception supporting the construct validity of the new 15D Turkish version. Overall, the results indicated that the adaptation of the 15D for use in Turkey was successful. The Turkish version was found to be a reliable and valid instrument. It is suitable and applicable to both clinical and population-based studies for the measurement of HRQoL in Turkey.

Turkish version of the Jefferson Scale of Attitudes Toward Physician-Nurse Collaboration: a preliminary study.

Abstract Background: The Jefferson Scale of Attitudes Toward Physician–Nurse Collaboration is an established instrument to measure the perceived work relationship between physicians and nurses.The survey addresses areas of autonomy and decisionmaking, interprofessional education and relations, psychosocial care, teamwork, and shared responsibility. The aim of this prelimiary study was to adapt the Jefferson Scale of Attitudes Toward Physician–Nurse Collaboration for use in Turkey and test its psychometric properties and utility in clinical and research practice. Methods: The process of cross-cultural adaptation and validation followed the guidelines provided in the existing literature. First, three bilingual health professionals independently translated the original questionnaire into Turkish and a consensus version was generated. Then, three other translators, blind to the original questionnaire, performed a back translation into English to confirm the accuracy of the translation. This version was then compared with the original English questionnaire. Discrepancies were discussed and solved by a panel of two nurses and two physicians. The field-testing for face validity was done in a group of ten monolingual physicians and nurses. Reliability was assessed with test–retest reliability and construct validity was confirmed with factor analysis. Results: The mean time of questionnaire administration was 3 minutes and 45 seconds. The test–retest reliability was 0.75, and Cronbach’s coefficient alpha was 0.71 for the entire sample. The findings of the factor analysis indicated that the Turkish version of Jefferson Scale of Attitudes Toward Physician–Nurse Collaboration was comprised of the following four factors: ‘physician–nurse relationships’, ‘shared education’, ‘nursing role in patient care’, and ‘accountability and responsibility of nurses’ Conclusion: The overall findings of this study indicate that the Turkish version of the Jefferson Scale of Attitudes Toward Physician–Nurse Collaboration is a psychometrically sound tool with satisfactory measurement characteristics including construct validity and internal consistency reliability.This instrument may be useful in assessing the effectiveness of educational programs designed to enhance collaboration between physicians and nurses, whether these programs are aimed at residents and graduate nursing students or practicing physicians and nurses.

Cystatin C, a novel cardiometabolic risk marker in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Abstract Objective: To investigate the impact of urinary albumin excretion (UAE) and cystatin C on the metabolic components of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Methods: Seventy-five women with PCOS were divided into two groups according to metabolic syndrome as MetS + and MetS−. Clinical, metabolic and renal parameters were compared between the groups. Correlation analyses were performed between cystatin C, microalbuminuria and clinical and metabolic parameters in women with PCOS. Results: Waist/hip ratio (WHR), body mass index, LDL cholesterol, triglyceride, total cholesterol, cystatin C, UAE were significantly higher in the MetS + group compared with the MetS − one. HDL cholesterol was significantly higher in the MetS − group than the MetS + one. The UAE positively correlates with LDL cholesterol, triglyceride and total cholesterol levels. Cystatin C positively correlates with UAE, WHR, LDL cholesterol, triglyceride, total cholesterol levels. Conclusions: Evaluating UAE and cystatin C may be important for the detection of target subjects at high risk for future metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease.