Adaptação transcultural da versão brasileira do questionário de Kovacevic sobre aconselhamento familiar após o diagnóstico pré-natal de cardiopatia congênita."

Abstract

Introduction: Congenital heart disease affects approximately 1 in every 100 births. With technological advancements, more accurate diagnoses have become possible, increasing the chances of successful treatment. However, the need to improve family support remains, as it is essential for coping with the impact of the diagnosis. In recent years, research groups have focused on family counseling, with particular emphasis on the work led by Alexander Kovacevic, a fetal cardiologist and researcher at the University of Heidelberg. In 2018, Kovacevic and his multidisciplinary team developed a comprehensive questionnaire to guide family counseling, recognized for its completeness and practical applicability, serving as a valuable guide for supporting pregnant women. Objectives: The aim of this study was to culturally adapt Kovacevic's questionnaire for the Brazilian context and evaluate its effectiveness among pregnant women and families of fetuses diagnosed with congenital heart disease. Method: The adaptation process followed rigorous steps, including translation and back-translation conducted by independent bilingual translators, and review by expert committees in pediatric cardiology and family psychology. The analysis focused on ensuring semantic, idiomatic, cultural, and conceptual equivalence. Experts assessed the clarity, relevance, and comprehension of the items, resulting in a pre-final version of the questionnaire in Portuguese. A sample of 10 pregnant women, aged 18 to 42, whose fetuses were diagnosed with congenital heart disease through fetal echocardiography, participated in the study. Participants completed sociodemographic and clinical characterization questionnaires, as well as the adapted version of the "Assessment of Needs for Counseling After Prenatal Diagnosis of Congenital Heart Disease – A Multidisciplinary Approach." Results: The Brazilian version of the questionnaire demonstrated high equivalence with the original instrument, both semantically and culturally. Content evaluation by experts indicated satisfactory consensus regarding the clarity and relevance of the items. The content validity coefficient (CVC) was deemed adequate, confirming that the items were relevant and representative of the Brazilian context. The cross-cultural adaptation process ensured the maintenance of semantic, idiomatic, and cultural equivalence, with high acceptance by participants. Conclusion: The cross-cultural adaptation of the "Assessment of Needs for Counseling After Prenatal Diagnosis of Congenital Heart Disease – A Multidisciplinary Approach" questionnaire into Portuguese was successful, meeting the criteria for cultural equivalence and content validity. Although the instrument showed reliable and valid psychometric properties, future studies are necessary to fully validate its properties and verify its applicability in clinical settings. This instrument contributes to more efficient and humanized support, aiding families in coping with such a challenging diagnosis.