Cross-cultural adaptation of the pediatric version of the SafetyNet reporting system for use in French-speaking Canada

• The SafetyNet system monitors adverse events associated with manual therapies. • A pediatric SafetyNet version was adapted for French-speaking Canadians. • Guardians and clinicians assessed the clarity and relevance of questionnaires. Though manual therapies are frequently utilized in pediatric care, they carry inherent risks of adverse events. The pediatric iteration of the SafetyNet reporting system encompasses three questionnaires specifically crafted for completion by a child's legal guardian, complemented by one intended for the provider to record treatment details. The objective of this study is to culturally adapt the pediatric SafetyNet reporting system for the French-speaking Canadian demographic. A multidisciplinary committee was convened to undertake the translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the four questionnaires comprising the pediatric version of the SafetyNet reporting system. The adaptation process encompassed several stages, including: (1) Forward translation, (2) Synthesis of the translated versions, (3) Cross-cultural adaptation, (4) Review and proposal of the pre-final Canadian French version, and (5) Cognitive debriefing and proposal of the final version. Committee adaptations were subject to review by a developer of the SafetyNet system. Cognitive debriefing involved the participation of French-Canadian legal guardians and clinicians to assess questionnaires’ clarity. The committee comprised seven researchers and clinicians from diverse backgrounds, including chiropractic, anatomy, and physiotherapy as well as a research associate with a background in linguistics. Upon receiving approval of the cross-cultural adaptations from the developer of the SafetyNet reporting system, all committee members unanimously endorsed the pre-final version. After incorporating improvements based on the cognitive debriefing step, which involved feedback from 13 legal guardians and 10 clinicians, the final version was proposed. Despite the need for adaptations to existing translation guidelines, the pediatric version of the SafetyNET reporting system was successfully translated and adapted to the Canadian French context.