Adaptation and validation of the spanish version of the quality of life in latex allergy questionnaire (QOLLA)

Objective: the aim of the present study was to translate into spanish and transculturally adapt the quality of life in latex allergy questionnaire (qolla) in order to provide a validated instrument for use in research and daily practice. methods: patients diagnosed with latex allergy were invited to participate in an observational prospective multicenter study to validate the spanish version of the qolla following the recommendations of the world health organization. the study included 3 phases-feasibility,reliability,and cross-sectional validation-and was approved by the ethics committee of hospital ramón y cajal. results: mean time to complete the questionnaire was 4.7 minutes. the maximum score was 28 (mean,7.7; median,4). the sf-12 score ranged from 25.8 to 51.6 in the physical domain and from 20.8 to 61.5 in the mental domain. internal consistency was excellent (cronbach α,0.9348). the κ index fluctuated between 0.40 and 0.93. a κ of 0.84 was obtained for the global score in 5 categories. sixty patients were included to evaluate construct validity. mean age was 39 years and 49 patients were women (80%). the global score ranged between 0 and 30 (mean,11.69; median,11). spearman correlation coeffi cients between the qolla and a visual analog scale and the sf-12 physical,mental,and severity scales according to the researcher were -0.47,0.37,0.29,and 0.54,respectively. conclusion: the qolla is a feasible,valid,and reliable instrument for the measurement of disease-specifi c quality of life in adult patients diagnosed with latex allergy. it could play an important role in determining suitable treatment for latex-allergy. © 2011 esmon publicidad.