Overactive bladder symptom score – translation and linguistic validation in Bengali

AIMS: Overactive bladder symptom score (OABSS) in English consists of four questionnaires. We proposed to make Bengali version and linguistic validation. SETTINGS: Online survey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The translation and linguistic validation was done in the following manner: forward Bengali translation, backward English translation, preparation of online version, online survey, cognitive debriefing and preparation of final version. Backward translation was done by a person proficient in Bengali and English who had never seen the English version. RESULTS: Forward Bengali translation from the English version of OABSS was made. Next backward translation was done. Question number 1 and 2 backward translation was in congruent at the first attempt. But question number 3 and 4 backward translation needed multiple time correction to come to congruence. After agreement of corrected version an online version was created. In the online version along with particulars of the participants, exclusion criteria, OAB diagnostic criteria, category of OAB depending on OABSS score were added. Then this online version was sent for online survey to Bengali-speaking persons (https://forms.gle/qEo8GuXSgxyULoaX9). Fifty-nine persons (43 male, 16 female) participated. Participants were from all-over India, covering many types of occupation. Overall prevalence of OAB was 15.5% and among male 6.9% and female 8.6%. No participants had any difficulty in understanding the questionnaires in congruence; only two persons were unable to understand the category of OAB as per OABSS. CONCLUSION: OABSS Bengali version is well understood in congruence and linguistically validated. Further studies would assess the reproducibility and accuracy of the questionnaire in Bengali populations.