The validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the University of Toronto Atrial Fibrillation Severity Scale

Background/aim: There are various instruments to assess quality of life (QoL) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The aim of this study is to determine the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the University of Toronto Atrial Fibrillation Severity Scale (AFSS). Materials and methods: The AFSS and Short Form-36 (SF-36) were completed by 130 patients with documented AF. The Canadian Cardiovascular Society Severity in Atrial Fibrillation (SAF) scale and European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) scale were also utilized by the attending physicians. To assess test–retest reliability, the AFSS was readministered to 47 clinically stable patients at a 1-month follow-up visit. Internal consistency reliability, test–retest reproducibility, and construct validity were evaluated. Results: The mean age of the patients was 63.1 ± 10.9 years and 58.5% of patients were male. The outcome scores of the Turkish version of the AFSS showed good correlations with theoretically related SF-36 domains. Additionally, AFSS outcome scores showed a linear correlation with the SAF and EHRA scores. Cronbach’s alpha values for internal consistency were consistent and similar with the English language version of the AFSS. Intraclass correlation coefficients for reproducibility exceeded 0.80 for every item. Conclusion: Convergent–divergent and known-groups validity and reliability were established for the Turkish version of the University of Toronto AFSS.