Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41956909›Full record

ArticleInternational wound journal2026

Translation, Validation and Cross-Cultural Adaptation of the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale Version 3.0 (POSAS 3.0) Into Malay Language for Injury-Related Scar.

Ken Wong Siong Hou, Gan Chun Hong, Mohd Johar Jaafar, Roszalina Ramli

Abstract readValidation Study
In one paragraph

Article in International wound journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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1citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

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1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Ken Wong Siong HouDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Gan Chun HongClinical Psychology and Behavioural Health Programme, Center for Rehabilitation and Special Needs Studies, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9577-1150
Mohd Johar JaafarDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Roszalina RamliDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale Version 3.0 (POSAS 3.0) is a robust instrument for scar evaluation. Currently, no validated POSAS 3.0 in the Malay language is available. This study aimed to translate, culturally adapt, and psychometrically evaluate POSAS 3.0 for Malay-speaking populations in Malaysia. Malaysian patients were recruited between 31 October 2023, to 31 December 2024. Translation was conducted using a forward and backward translation approach. Reliability was assessed using internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) and test-retest. Face validity was addressed with 10 patients, and content validity was evaluated by four clinical specialists. Content validity was evaluated using the item-content validity index (I-CVI) and content validity ratio (CVR). Construct validity was assessed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Seventy-eight participants with facial (n = 39, 50.0%) and non-facial (n = 39, 50.0%) soft tissue scars were recruited for the EFA. The Malay POSAS-O demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (α = 0.75) and excellent inter-rater reliability, with item-level intraclass correlation coefficient (ICCs) ranging from 0.91 to 1.00 and total score ICC of 0.99. Agreement for categorical scar severity ratings was almost perfect (κ = 0.89). The Malay POSAS-P showed excellent internal consistency (α = 0.89), and test-retest reliability for the total score was good to excellent (ICC = 0.89). Intermittent symptom items (painful, shooting, burning and fragile) exhibited lower stability, reflecting natural symptom variability. Content validity was excellent, with all items achieving I-CVI and CVR values of 1.00. EFA supported construct validity, with adequate Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) values (POSAS-O: 0.88; POSAS-P: 0.85), significant Bartlett's tests, strong communalities and factor loadings. The cumulative variance explained was 79.05% for POSAS-O and 68.19% for POSAS-P. The Malay version of the POSAS 3.0 is a reliable, valid, and culturally appropriate instrument for scar assessment. Its strong psychometric properties support its application in clinical practice and research involving Malay-speaking populations.

Indexed as

CicatrixPsychometricsWounds and InjuriesAdultCross-Cultural ComparisonFemaleHumansMalaysiaMaleMiddle AgedReproducibility of ResultsSurveys and QuestionnairesTranslationsYoung Adultcross‐cultural adaptationMalayPOSAS 3.0translationvalidation

Identifiers

PMID41956909
PMCPMC13065433

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.