BRIDGING TRADITION AND CLINICAL PRECISION: DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A STANDARDIZED QUESTIONNAIRE FOR SNEHA JEERYAMANA AND SNEHA JEERNA LAKSHANA IN SHODHANANGA SNEHAPANA

Background: Snehana is an essential pre-procedural therapy in Ayurveda, where the assessment of Sneha Jeeryamana and Sneha Jeerna Lakshana plays a pivotal role in guiding Shodhananga Snehapana. These Lakshanas are inherently subjective, often leading to ambiguity in evaluation and inconsistent administration, with no standardized tool available for systematic assessment. Objective: To develop and validate a scale for the assessment of Sneha Jeeryamana and Sneha Jeerna Lakshana, ensuring reliability and objectivity in clinical practice. Methodology: The scale was developed through a systematic process, including conceptual framework formulation, generation of item pool based on classical references, and content validation by experts. The provisional scale was pretested on participants undergoing Snehapana using direct interviews. Responses were analyzed to identify problematic items. Reliability was assessed through internal consistency measures, and validity was tested using factor analysis. Results: The reliability scores for both Sneha Jeeryamana Lakshana and Sneha Jeerna Lakshana were satisfactory, demonstrating good internal consistency and strong item–total correlation. Factor analysis confirmed item loading in expected domains, with minor interchanges highlighting underlying factor structures. The provisional scale successfully captured subtle subjective experiences that are often overlooked in clinical practice. Conclusion: The developed scale provides a standardized, reliable, and valid tool for assessing Sneha Jeeryamana and Sneha Jeerna Lakshana. It enhances the objectivity and reproducibility of Snehapana assessment and can be applied throughout the course of therapy, thereby bridging the gap between classical Ayurvedic descriptions and modern clinical research.