The Arabic adaptation and validation of the Partners in Health scale among patients with chronic diseases

Background: The Partners in Health (PIH) scale is a widely used tool for assessing self-management of chronic diseases but lacks an Arabic version. This study aimed to convert the PIH scale to a culturally appropriate Arabic (PIH-Arv) version and then assess its validity and reliability. Methods: The study was conducted in two phases: Arabic-language cross-cultural adaptation and translation of the scale, followed by an expert review. This new version, “PIH-Arv”, was then subjected to a two-stage validation process. Translation and adaption followed published recommendations (Beaton et al ., 2000). Cognitive interviews were then conducted, initially with 8 expert participants to assess content validity, then with a further 225 chronically ill patients. Internal consistency was measured with Cronbach’s alpha. The test–retest reliability of the PIH-Arv scale was assessed by comparison of questionnaire responses, from the same individuals, 1 week apart, using Pearson’s correlation coefficient ( r ) and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). A Bland–Altman plot was generated. Convergent validity was assessed with Spearman’s correlation coefficient to evaluate the correlation between the PIH-Arv and the Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease 6-item (SEMCD-6) scales. Results: Cronbach’s α was 0.916. Test–retest showed excellent stability. Pearson correlations show r = 0.98 ( P < 0.001) and ICC was 0.997, P < 0.001 (confidence interval at 95%: 0.996, 0.998). The results showed that the PIH-Arv scale and the SEMCD-6 scale were moderately positively related ( r = 0.416, P < 0.001), which is a good sign of convergent validity. Conclusion: The Arabic version (PIH-Arv) of PIH is both valid and reliable. Clinicians in Arabic-speaking nations will find the translated instrument culturally appropriate and useful in measuring self-management for chronically ill patients.