Cross-cultural adaptation of Jefferson scale of empathy-health professions students version: An experience with developing the Tamil translation

Kathiresan Jeyashree, Soundappan Kathirvel, Muthu K Prathibha

Education for Health 2017 30(2):169-171

Background: Empathy is a key cognitive attribute among healthcare professionals that fosters better patient– healthcare provider relationships. The Jefferson scale of empathy (JSE) measures self-rated empathy among various groups of healthcare professionals–health professionals, medical students and health professions students (HPS). The authors present the experience in translating the JSE-HPS version into an Indian regional language with insights into the issues faced in every step. Methods: With official permission from the Thomas Jefferson University, the authors embarked on the translation proceeding through forward translation (three rounds of modification), back translation (two independent translates), and synthesis of a final translated version. While targeting literary accuracy, the simplicity and comprehensibility of the instrument by the study population were also ensured. Variations in regional dialects and accents across the population were considered. Results: The back-translated version was evaluated for semantic, content, cultural, and technical equivalence. It was then pretested on ten students followed by a group discussion with them to ensure the comprehensibility of the tool and the differences between written and spoken language were addressed through necessary modifications. Discussion: The Tamil translation of the HPS version of JSE is now approved by and officially available with the Thomas Jefferson University.

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