Patient Preference and Adherence (Jan 2024)
Spanish Translation and Cultural Adaptations of Physical Therapy Parent Educational Materials for Use in Neonatal Intensive Care
Abstract
Dana B McCarty,1 Leslie Sierra-Arevalo,2 Ana-Clara Caldwell Ashur,1 J Tommy White,3 Laura Villa Torres4 1Department of Health Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; 2Physical and Occupational Therapy, Duke University Health System, Durham, NC, USA; 3North Carolina Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; 4Public Health Leadership Program, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USACorrespondence: Dana B McCarty, Department of Health Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, 3024 Bondurant Hall, CB#7135, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7135, USA, Tel +1 919 843 8792, Fax +1 919 966 3678, Email [email protected]: A paucity of Spanish language, culturally relevant parent education materials in the healthcare setting results in suboptimal care for Latinx families and further perpetuates health disparities. The purpose of this article is to describe the process for Spanish translation and cultural adaptations to parent education materials of a parent-centered physical therapy program designed to support maternal mental health and infant development during Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU).Methods: Two bilingual physical therapy (PT) students translated educational materials from English to Spanish and were proofread by a professional translator. Next, we conducted a materials review with 5 members of the Latine Community Review Board (CRB), a “standing” advisory group of natively Spanish-speaking, Latine North Carolinians who contract with research teams under the coordination of the Inclusive Science Program (ISP) of the North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute (NC TraCS). Review session recruitment, facilitation, and data analysis were conducted by bilingual NC TraCS project managers and the primary investigator for the main feasibility study. Readability analyses were performed at the final stage of translation and adaptation.Results: Themes from CRB review sessions for improvement included to 1) use parent-friendly language, 2) use the plural masculine form of gendered language for caregivers to include all gender identities in this neonatal context, 3) address challenges with direct translation, and 4) use written education materials to supplement in-person, hands-on training with parents and their infants. All translated materials received a grade level of 5 on the Crawford grade-level index.Conclusion: Based on CRB feedback and readability analysis, the translation and cultural-adaptation process resulted in comprehensible written parent education materials for Spanish-speaking families. Review meetings with the CRB reinforced the need for Spanish materials in the healthcare setting. Further assessment of these materials with Spanish-speaking families in the NICU setting is needed.Keywords: patient education, Spanish, translation, cultural adaptation, neonatal intensive care, parents
