Translation and cultural adaptation of the WHO generic tuberculosis patient cost survey to an Egyptian context.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) represents a major health problem having serious financial impact on a substantial proportion of patients. This has necessitated the development of a valid tool for measuring TB-related expenditure by patients and their households so that appropriate measures can be taken to reduce the financial burden.

Aims: To translate and culturally validate the generic WHO tuberculosis patient cost survey within the Egyptian context.

Methods: The instrument was translated and culturally adapted using forward-translation, back-translation, expert panel assessment, pretesting, cognitive interviewing, and appraisal by the developer.

Results: A final Arabic version with modifications to 35 descriptors of the original tool was produced after review by an expert committee and cognitive interviews with patients. Twelve questions were modified, 13 response options were changed, 6 questions were added, and 4 questions were removed. Pretesting of the tool ensured that the final version is culturally sensitive and fit for assessing the costs incurred by TB patients in an Egyptian context.

Conclusion: Policymakers are encouraged to use the WHO tuberculosis patient cost survey tool for assessing the expenditure of TB patients with a view to developing appropriate policies to reduce the financial burden of patients.