TRANSLATION AND LINGUISTIC VALIDATION OF COMPOSITE AUTONOMIC SYMPTOM SCALE (COMPASS 31) IN HINDI

Objective: Assessing the functioning of the autonomic nervous system is important in the evaluation of common neurological disorders, including polyneuropathy, diabetes, and Parkinson's disease. The COMPASS 31 is a self-assessment instrument investigating autonomic symptoms. Reliable translations of the questionnaire shall facilitate the clinical and scientic exchange and cooperation between autonomic research groups in different laboratories and in different countries. Materials and Methods: The study aimed to provide translation and linguistic validation of the Hindi version of the Composite Autonomic Symptom Scale COMPASS 31. The research was conducted in two stages. Phase 1 consisted of the translation of the English version of the Composite Autonomic Symptom Scale COMPASS 31 into the Hindi version. The second phase consisted of eld testing of the translated version to check test-retest reliability and validity. Phase 1 of this study was carried out as per the guidelines laid down by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS). Results: Test–retest reliability was assessed correlating the total score and domain scores derived from the English and Hindi versions of COMPASS 31 using Spearman correlations A positive correlation for the overall score between English and Hindi versions (r = 0.98, P<0.001); a positive correlation was found also for individual domain scores. There was an overall excellent internal consistency (alpha value > 0.9). There was an overall almost perfect agreement (single measures value >0.8) with a statistically highly signicant p value (p <0.01). Conclusion: In summary, this study contributes a translated Hindi version of the COMPASS 31 that is reliable, highly internally consistent, and provides results identical to those of the original US English version.