Bristol COPD Knowledge Questionnaire (BCKQ): testing what we teach patients about COPD

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Health Education Assessment

Background:

• Patient education is crucial for managing Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
• Existing tools to assess patient knowledge and educational outcomes are insufficient.
• A validated instrument is needed to measure COPD patient knowledge effectively.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and validate a multiple-choice questionnaire (BCKQ) to assess COPD patient knowledge.
• To evaluate the reliability and responsiveness of the BCKQ.
• To establish the BCKQ as a tool for clinical and research purposes in COPD education.

Main Methods:

• Developed a 65-item multiple-choice questionnaire (BCKQ) covering 13 COPD-related topics.
• Assessed content, face validity, and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.73).
• Measured test-retest reliability (r = 0.71) and responsiveness to an 8-week educational intervention.

Main Results:

• The BCKQ demonstrated good content and face validity, and strong internal consistency.
• Patients without prior education scored an average of 54.7%.
• An 8-week education program resulted in an 18.3 percentage point increase in scores, largely sustained for six months.

Conclusions:

• The BCKQ is a valid, reliable, and responsive instrument for assessing COPD patient knowledge.
• The questionnaire is suitable for both individual patient assessment and broader research surveys.
• BCKQ can effectively evaluate the impact of COPD educational interventions and guide future program development.