Psychometric evaluation of a new instrument to measure disease self-management of the early stage chronic kidney disease patients

Aims and objectives. This study aims to develop a valid and reliable chronic kidney disease self‐management instrument (CKD‐SM) for assessing early stage chronic kidney disease patients’ self‐management behaviours. Background. Enhancing early stage chronic kidney disease patients’ self‐management plays a key role in delaying the progression of chronic kidney disease. Healthcare provider understanding of early stage chronic kidney disease patients’ self‐management behaviours can help develop effective interventions. A valid and reliable instrument for measuring chronic kidney disease patients’ self‐management behaviours is needed. Design. A cross‐sectional descriptive study collected data for principal components analysis with oblique rotation. Methods. Mandarin‐ or Taiwanese‐speaking adults with chronic kidney disease (n = 252) from two medical centres and one regional hospital in Southern Taiwan completed the CKD‐SM. Construct validity was evaluated by exploratory factor analysis. Internal consistency and test–retest reliability were estimated by Cronbach’s alpha and Pearson correlation coefficients. Results. Four factors were extracted and labelled self‐integration, problem‐solving, seeking social support and adherence to recommended regimen. The four factors accounted for 60·51% of the total variance. Each factor showed acceptable internal reliability with Cronbach’s alpha from 0·77–0·92. The test–retest correlations for the CKD‐SM was 0·72. Conclusion. The psychometric quality of the CKD‐SM instrument was satisfactory. Research to conduct a confirmatory factor analysis to further validate this new instrument’s construct validity is recommended. Relevance to clinical practice. The CKD‐SM instrument is useful for clinicians who wish to identify the problems with self‐management among chronic kidney disease patients early. Self‐management assessment will be helpful to develop intervention tailored to the needs of the chronic kidney disease population.