Validation of a Turkish version of the burn-specific health scale.

The abbreviated Burn-Specific Health Scale (BSHS) is an instrument that measures physical, mental, social, and general health in burn survivors. This scale is composed of 80 items. The aim of this study was to determine the reliability and validity of a Turkish version of the BSHS (the BSHS-Turkish). The BSHS-abbreviated was translated and adapted for Turkish persons according to standard procedures. After a telephone interview with all eligible patients, the BSHS-Turkish was mailed to 103 burn patients. Fifty-three patients (51.46%) filled out both questionnaires; the second one was completed within 15 days of the first one. The mean time that it took to complete the questionnaire was 31.06 +/- 15.2 minutes (range, 3-60 minutes). The test-retest, internal reliability, and construct validity of the BSHS-Turkish were satisfactory according to intraclass correlation coefficient, Cronbach's alpha, and the Mann Whitney U test. The BSHS-Turkish is a reliable and valid instrument for determining the health status of Turkish patients with burns.