Objective: Questionnaires for adequate assessment of the urinary function of neurological patients are not available in Portuguese. The Qualiveen, developed in France for evaluation of general and urinary-related impact on QoL, has been successfully used in neurological patients.
Aim: To translate the Qualiveen, to adapt it crossculturally, and to validate it for Portuguese.
Methods: Fifty-one patients with spinal cord injury (SCI), multiple sclerosis (MS), and myelomeningocele (MMC) completed both Qualiveen and the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-SF) twice, at an mean interval of 15.5 days.
Results: A reliability study revealed internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficients 0.75-0.90 for all four domains). Test-retest reliability demonstrated moderate to strong stability (intraclass correlation coefficient range from 0.62 to 0.86). Construct validity was assessed using the Qualiveen's scores and ICIQ-SF final score. It was significant for the majority of Qualiveen's score domains compared with the ICIQ-SF final score.
Conclusion: The Portuguese version of the Qualiveen was successfully adapted and validated. It can be used for evaluation of general and urinary QoL in neurological patients.