Cultural Adaptation of a Survey to Assess Medical Providers’ Knowledge of and Attitudes towards HIV/AIDS in Albania

Abstract

Though the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Southeastern Europe is one of low reported prevalence, numerous studies have described the pervasiveness of medical providers’ lack of knowledge of HIV/AIDS in the Balkans. This study sought to culturally adapt an instrument to assess medical providers’ knowledge of and attitudes towards HIV/AIDS in Albania. Cultural adaptation was completed through development of a survey from previously validated instruments, translation of the survey into Albanian, blinded back translation, expert committee review of the draft instrument, focus group pre-testing with community- and University Hospital Center of Tirana-based physicians and nurses, and test-retest reliability testing. Blinded back translation of the instrument supported the initial translation with slight changes to the idiomatic and conceptual equivalences. Focus group pre-testing generally supported the instrument, yet some experiential and idiomatic changes were implemented. Based on unweighted kappa and/or prevalence adjusted bias adjusted kappa (PABAK), 20 of the 43 questions were deemed statistically significant at kappa and/or PABAK ≥0.5, while 12 others did not cross zero on the 95% confidence interval for kappa, indicating their probable significance. Subsequently, an instrument to assess medical providers’ knowledge of and attitudes toward HIV/AIDS for an Albanian population was developed which can be expanded within Albania and potentially to other countries within the Balkans, which have an Albanian-speaking population.

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth (PEM-CY) into German: a qualitative study in three countries

“…Culture has been defined as the “total shared, learned behavior of a society or a subgroup” [ 12 ] (p22). Direct translation of an assessment without proper cultural adaptation may leave garnered data unfit for proper interpretation [ 13 ]. Specifically for participation assessments, a lack of cultural equivalence in the translated measure has been reported [ 14 ].…”

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth (PEM-CY) into German: a qualitative study in three countries

“…Culture has been de ned as the "total shared, learned behavior of a society or a subgroup" [12] (p22). Direct translation of an assessment without proper cultural adaptation may leave garnered data un t for proper interpretation [13]. Speci cally for participation assessments, a lack of cultural equivalence in the translated measure has been reported [14].…”

Developing an Accident and Emergency HIV Testing Program in Belize City: Recommendations from Key Stakeholders

“…The majority of prior studies on HIV testing in similar settings focused on provider attitudes toward HIV care and evaluation of current care rather than development of new testing protocols. 18-24…”

“…The majority of prior studies on HIV testing in similar settings focused on provider attitudes toward HIV care and evaluation of current care rather than development of new testing protocols. [18][19][20][21][22][23][24] To develop an A&E HIV testing program, we sought input from key stakeholders (patients, physicians, nurses, and administrators) on the recommended program components and potential facilitators and barriers to HIV testing in emergency care. This investigation ultimately aims to provide a guide to HIV testing and linkage to care in this resource-limited, emergency care setting.…”