Reliability and Validity of the Turkish Version of the Dialysis Symptom Index in Chronic Hemodialysis Patients

OBJECTIVE: This study was planned for the purpose of adapting and determining the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the “Dialysis Symptom Index (DSI)” for Turkish hemodialysis patients. MATERIAL and METHODS: This study was conducted in two dialysis units. A total of 120 hemodialysis patients participated in the research. Written permission to conduct the research was obtained from the institutions and the patients. Research data were collected using a questionnaire and the DSI. It assesses symptoms and their severity and is widely used in patients in the end stage of the disease. The kappa values were calculated for test-retest and the Cronbach alpha coefficients were also calculated in the reliability study. Language validity and content validity were tested in the validity study. RESULTS: The patients’ mean age was 54.53 (13.80). The kappa values ranged between 0.10 to 0.9 on the DSI. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the DSI was determined to be 0.83. CONCLUSION: As a result of this study carried out in accordance with methodological research principles, the Turkish version of the DSI has been understood to be a reliable and valid measurement index in Turkish populations.