SCALPDEX Questionnaire: creation and validation of the Polish language version

Introduction:
Assessing the quality of life (QoL) in patients with various diseases is essential for understanding their well-being and guiding clinical management. Dermatological conditions, particularly those affecting the scalp, significantly impact QoL due to their visible nature, which can affect appearance and social interactions. While general QoL instruments like the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) exist, disease-specific tools like SCALPDEX are necessary for capturing the unique challenges faced by patients with scalp disorders.

Aim:
To translate and validate the SCALPDEX questionnaire into the Polish language to facilitate its use among Polish-speaking clinicians.

Material and methods:
A standard forward and backward translation procedure was used to convert the original English version of SCALPDEX into the Polish language. The validation of the Polish version was performed in a group of 60 patients with scalp dermatoses who were asked to fill in the questionnaire twice within an interval of 7 days for reassessment to evaluate test-retest reliability. During the first completion the patients were additionally asked to fill in an already existing Polish version of Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), which was used as a reference questionnaire.

Results:
The Polish version of the SCAPLDEX questionnaire showed a very good internal consistency (Cronbach a = 0.94) and reproducibility (ICC = 0.94), with a strong correlation between SCALPDEX and DLQI scores (R = 0.74, p < 0.0001).

Conclusions:
The Polish version of SCALPDEX has proven to be a reliable and valid instrument for assessing the QoL in patients with scalp disorders.