Translation, adaptation and validation of the Toronto Symptom Assessment System for Wounds (TSAS-W) to Portuguese

Effective symptom management and patient comfort require a systematic assessment to better control symptoms. The Toronto Symptom Assessment System for Wounds (TSAS-W) is a tool designed to evaluate the complexity and specificity of wounds, focusing not on healing but on the effective control of symptoms. This study aims to translate, adapt and validate the TSAS-W for the Portuguese population and to analyze its feasibility. This is a methodological study involving the cross-cultural adaptation of a quantitative, cross-sectional, observational, and descriptive tool. This resulted in an instrument formed of 10 items. Data collection was conducted in two oncology hospitals and within a Continuing Care Network, between October 2018 and May 2019 encompassing a sample of 90 Individuals with 94 chronic wounds. The tool demonstrated good internal consistency, with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.827 in the first evaluation and 0.867 in the second evaluation. Observers confirmed the feasibility of the tool in a clinical setting. This validation came to fill the lack of recording instruments for non-healing wounds, and emphasizes patient comfort.