Aims: To translate and validate the Arabic version of the short form of Urogenital Distress Inventory (UDI-6) questionnaire in a sample of women with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS).
Methods: Two native Saudis independently translated the original UDI-6 into Arabic. These two translations were harmonized, and then checked by independent back translation by two English teachers. They collaborated with the clinical investigators to reach a consensus version of the questionnaire. The harmonized version was pre-tested in a pilot study on 20 patients. The final version of the UDI-6 was applied to 68 consecutive patients aged 22 years or over complaining of LUTS for at least 3 months at our tertiary care hospital. The patients were rerated after 1 week to assess test-retest reliability. To assess the capacity of the questionnaire to discriminate between women with and without LUTS, cases, and controls of healthy women sample were involved and assessed. The psychometric properties of the questionnaire, such as reliability and validity were assessed.
Results: The correlation co-efficient between ratings was >0.75 and the discriminate power between cases and control were confirmed. The UDI showed good internal consistency total score cronbach alpha = 0.71.
Conclusions: The Arabic version of UDI-6 is a valid and robust instrument and a reliable method to use in daily practice and clinical research.
(c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.