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Development and testing of the Dutch Heart Failure Knowledge Scale

Martje H L van der Wal1, Tiny Jaarsma, Debra K Moser

  • 1Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands. m.h.l.van.der.wal@thorax.umcg.nl

European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing
|August 30, 2005
PubMed

Insights

A new Dutch Heart Failure (HF) knowledge scale was developed to measure patient understanding of their disease and treatment. This 15-item tool is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing HF patient knowledge.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Health Sciences
  • Patient Education

Background:

  • Patient knowledge and compliance are crucial for effective heart failure (HF) management.
  • Existing measurement instruments for HF patient knowledge are lacking in validity and reliability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a valid and reliable instrument to measure heart failure (HF) patient knowledge.
  • The instrument aims to assess patient understanding of their disease and prescribed healthcare regimen.

Main Methods:

  • The Heart Failure (HF) knowledge scale was developed through a three-phase process: concept analysis, item revision, and validity/reliability testing.
  • The scale underwent testing in 19 Dutch hospitals involving 902 HF patients.

Main Results:

  • The Dutch HF knowledge scale is a 15-item, self-administered questionnaire covering general HF knowledge, treatment specifics (diet, fluid restriction), and symptom recognition.
  • The scale demonstrated face, content, and construct validity, differentiating between HF patients with high and low knowledge levels.
  • Cronbach's alpha for the scale was .62, indicating acceptable reliability within the study population.

Conclusions:

  • The developed instrument is a valid and reliable scale for research into the effectiveness of patient education and counseling in heart failure (HF).
  • Further validation may support its use in clinical practice for measuring HF knowledge.
Abstract

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