Translation and adaptation of the stroke-specific quality of life scale into Swahili.

Background: Stroke care requires a patient-centred, evidence-based and culturally appropriate approach for better patient clinical outcomes. Quality of life necessitates precise measuring using health-related quality measures that are self-reported and language appropriate. However, most of the self-reported measures were devised in Europe and therefore not considered contextually appropriate in other settings, more so in Africa. Objectives: Our study aimed to produce a Swahili version by translating and adapting the stroke-specific quality of life (SSQOL) scale among people with stroke in Kenya. Method: We used a questionnaire translation and cross-cultural adaptation. The pre-validation sample of 36 adult participants was drawn from 40 registered people with stroke, from the Stroke Association of Kenya (SAoK). Quantitative data were collected using both English and Swahili versions of the SSQOL scale. The mean, standard deviation (s.d.) and overall scores were calculated and are presented in tables. Results: The back translation revealed a few inconsistencies. Minor semantic and equivalence alterations were done in the vision, mood, self-care, upper extremity function and mobility domains by the expert review committee. Respondents indicated that all questions were well-understood and captured. The stroke onset mean age was 53.69 years and the standard deviation was 14.05. Conclusion: The translated version of the Swahili SSQOL questionnaire is comprehensible and well-adapted to the Swahili-speaking population. Clinical implication: The SSQOL has the potential to be a useful outcome measure for use in Swahili-speaking patients with stroke.

Treatment outcomes and challenges of treating tuberculosis in children in a nomadic pastoralist community in Kenya.

Background: Tuberculosis in children has remained a major cause of childhood morbidity and mortality, especially in the developing countries where it has been associated with marginalization, vulnerability and poverty. Study objectives: To evaluate treatment outcomes and determine the challenges experienced by health providers while treating tuberculosis in children in a nomadic pastoralist community in Kenya. Methods: This was a descriptive cross sectional study design utilizing mixed methods, conducted at Lodwar County Referral Hospital in Turkana County- Kenya. We utilized census sampling method to get 59 medical records and 8 nurses. Data were collected using data abstraction form and in-depth interviews. Treatment outcomes were determined quantitatively while challenges were described qualitatively using thematic approach. Results: A total of 59 paediatric patients had been diagnosed with tuberculosis between the months of January 2021 and April 2021. Most of them were new cases. Children who were under five years constituted the highest proportion (61%). Most of the patients had completed their treatment (69.5%), loss to follow up 6.8%, transferred out 11.9%, died 8.5% while those who were not evaluated were 3.4%. Lifestyle and habit, lack of system support and lack of properly formulated dosage for children were the challenges experienced by the health care providers. Conclusion: Although, most of the patients (69.5%) had completed their treatment, treatment complete rate remained below the standard set by the World Health Organisation (90%). Health system posed most of the challenges experienced by the health care providers at the hospital.

Corrigendum: Translation and adaptation of the stroke-specific quality of life scale into Swahili.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.4102/sajp.v79i1.1847.].