Adaptation and validation of the Carolinas Comfort Scale: a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study

PURPOSE: Quality of life (QoL) is an important outcome following surgery. The Carolinas Comfort scale (CCS) is a specific questionnaire used to evaluate QoL in patients who underwent abdominal hernia repair with mesh. The aim of this study was to create a Lithuanian version of the CCS. METHODS: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted. A Lithuanian version of the CCS was created by translating the original questionnaire in accordance with the guidelines. The Lithuanian questionnaire was provided to hernia patients at 1 week and at 1 month postoperatively. The main validation characteristics of the Lithuanian CCS were assessed and compared to the original version. RESULTS: The complete response rate of patients was close to 90%. Internal consistency was excellent, with a Cronbach’s α of 0.953. Correlation coefficients ranged from 0.361 to 0.703 in the test–retest analysis. In the construct validity analysis, the strongest correlations were observed in the domains of physical functioning and bodily pain (− 0.655 and − 0.584, respectively) and the weakest correlations in role-emotional and mental health (− 0.268 and − 0.230, respectively). The mean scores of all CCS domains and the total score for satisfied patients were significantly lower (p < 0.001) than those of dissatisfied patients. The principal component analysis identified 3 components, with the first accounting for 56% of the variance. CONCLUSIONS: The Lithuanian version of CCS maintains the original validity and is a reliable and valid tool for assessing specific QoL factors after the repair of inguinal hernia with mesh. We recommend using this CCS version in personal, local, and international contexts. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10029-021-02399-4.