Validation of the Australian version of the Chronic Kidney Disease Self-Management instrument

The aim of this study is to evaluate the validity and reliability of the modified Chronic Kidney Disease Self-Management instrument in an English-speaking population.

There is growing evidence that self-management behaviours can improve outcomes for people with chronic kidney disease. However, there are few suitable instruments available.

The study was cross sectional, with a test-retest protocol.

Adults with chronic kidney disease attending a primary health care between June and December 2015 completed the Chronic Kidney Disease Self-Management instrument. Construct validity was determined using exploratory factor analysis, internal consistency and test-retest reliability using Cronbach's α and intraclass correlation. For convergent validity, the relationships between knowledge, self-efficacy and self-management were investigated.

The Australian version of the Chronic Kidney Disease Self-Management instrument has 17 items grouped into four factors: self-integration, seeking social support, adherence to lifestyle modification and problem solving. The instrument demonstrated good reliability. Self-efficacy was positively correlated with self-management scores, although there was no correlation between chronic kidney disease knowledge and self-management.

The Australian version of the Chronic Kidney Disease Self-Management instrument was found to be a valid and reliable patient-reported outcome measure. It can be used in clinical practice to support self-management, as well as future research.