Translation, Cross-Cultural Adaptation, and Validation of the Polish Version of the Dizziness Handicap Inventory.

OBJECTIVES

The Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) questionnaire is used to assess the severity of vertigo. In clinical practice, it is a good indicator for understanding the patient's feelings and can be used as a quantitative measure for monitoring ongoing treatment and rehabilitation. This study involved the translation, cultural adaptation, and validation of the Polish DHI questionnaire (DHI-POL).

METHODS

We recruited 127 subjects (mean age 55.1 years) who experienced vertigo, dizziness, and imbalance resulting from a disturbance to their vestibular system that had lasted longer than 1 month and 56 subjects (mean age 51.8 years) without any vestibular symptoms. All subjects performed a posturography Sensory Organization Test and completed the questionnaire twice.

RESULTS

Cronbach's alpha for the overall DHI-POL was α = 0.93. The questions were divided into 3 subgroups (functional [F], emotional [E], and physical [P]) for which the internal consistency was as follows: DHI-F, α = 0.84; DHI-E, α = 0.85; and DHI-P, α = 0.81. Reproducibility, as measured by interclass correlation coefficient for the overall DHI-POL, was 0.91. For each interclass correlation coefficient subgroup, the results were as follows: DHI-F, 0.90; DHI-E, 0.93; and DHI-P, 0.83.

CONCLUSIONS

DHI-POL has a high consistency and repeatability; therefore, it is a fully functional questionnaire that meets all the validation criteria and is a tool ready for use on Polish patients with vertigo.