Document resource
Objectives Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a prevalent autoimmune disease characterized by diverse clinical manifestations, which complicate diagnosis and effective care. Person-centered care emphasizes patients’ values and active engagement in disease management. Despite therapeutic advances, many patient needs remain unaddressed, partly because valid instruments to assess patient needs are not available in patient’s mother language. This study aimed to translate and culturally adapt the ‘Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Needs Questionnaire’ (SLENQ) into European Portuguese, ensuring linguistic equivalence and comprehensibility.Methods The study followed Beaton et al.’s five-stage methodology: translation, synthesis, back-translation, expert committee review and pre-testing. Content validity was assessed by experts, while the pre-test employed cognitive interviews with a convenience sample of individuals with SLE, using the ‘think aloud’ method.Results The translation and cultural adaptation process resulted in the final Portuguese version following multiple translations, back-translations and expert committee review. Pre-testing with 11 participants enabled semantic, contextual and response-scale adjustments, ensuring clarity, conceptual equivalence and cultural appropriateness, thereby accurately reflecting the original instrument.Conclusions The cross-cultural adaptation of the SLENQ produced an instrument for assessing SLE patient needs. Pre-testing confirmed clarity and relevance, guiding subsequent refinements. Although further psychometric validation is required, this questionnaire represents the first Portuguese-language instrument addressing multidimensional needs of Lupus patients.