Development of the pediatric version of the oral mucositis impact scale in oncology patients (EIMOPO-infantil) in Brazil

Aim: To develop the pediatric version of the Oral Mucositis Impact Scale in Oncology Patients (EIMOPO-Infantil), based on a quality of life instrument originally designed for adults. Methods: The researchers adapted the instrument for children and created a preliminary version of the EIMOPO-Infantil. Two rounds of analysis were conducted with a multidisciplinary expert panel using the Delphi Technique to achieve consensus (over 80% agreement) on the instrument’s content. An initial version was created for pretest through a cross-sectional study to qualitatively assess the comprehension of the questions by the target pediatric population. The instrument was self-administered to a convenience sample of 10 outpatient participants, aged 7–12 years, with cancer diagnosis and history of oral mucositis. Results: The pretest phase showed excellent comprehension by participants, with 100% reporting full understanding of the questions. Conclusion: The EIMOPO-Infantil was successfully developed in Brazilian pediatric oncology patients and is now ready for a large-scale validation.