Evaluation of the diabetes quality-of-life questionnaire in a Spanish population. An experience of translation and reliability.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of a version of the diabetes quality-of-life (DQOL) questionnaire adapted and translated into Spanish. The DQOL questionnaire consists of 46 items and is not sensitive to treatment regimens or self-monitoring; therefore, the instrument might be useful to a wide range of patients with diabetes who use different methods of diabetes management. 105 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus volunteered to complete the questionnaire. This Spanish version of the DQOL achieved a high global internal consistency (alpha = 0.90), and some outcome similarities, such as more favourable scores among younger patients (up to 21 years of age) and adult male patients compared with the original DQOL. These data show that the Spanish version of the DQOL has a high internal consistency (reliability) and might be a useful comparable tool to evaluate quality of life in Spanish-speaking patients with diabetes mellitus.