OBJECTIVES: The Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS II), updated in 2022 via an ISPOR Task Force, describes the minimum requirements of reporting quality for health economic research. This study primarily aimed to develop a validated Dutch translation of the 28 items of CHEERS II. Our secondary aim was to provide a worked example of a scientifically valid translation process.

METHODS: We applied a four-step process, led by experienced health economists and supported by linguistic experts: (1) forward translation of two independent Dutch versions, (2) backward translation of the two versions, (3) quantitative validation by evaluating comparability of language and similarity of interpretation of the back-translated English versions with the original English version on 7-point Likert scales (1 representing perfect comparability/similarity), resulting in one Dutch draft version, and (4) qualitative validation by comparing the Dutch draft version with the original English version, resulting in the final Dutch CHEERS II version.

RESULTS: The two back-translated English versions were compared to the original English version by respectively 37 and 26 fluently English-speaking health-economic experts. The average scores indicated high language comparability (1.88 (SD 0.70); 1.70 (SD 0.73)) and interpretation similarity (1.77 (SD 0.81); 1.54 (SD 0.74)). Four items required formal revision. After the second validation phase, where 43 responses from bilingual health economists were received and processed, the final Dutch CHEERS II version was obtained.

CONCLUSIONS: Despite English being the common language of science, translating reporting guidelines or other research instruments remains relevant to enhance clarity, accessibility, and inclusivity. The translated version can be used by students, regulators, researchers or others to report and evaluate reporting of health economic evaluations. In addition, a detailed description of the applied methodology aims to facilitate more high-quality translations of reporting guidelines or other research instruments.