Evaluation of kidney disease knowledge and its determinants among patients with chronic kidney disease

Patient self-care and knowledge of chronic kidney disease (CKD) play a crucial role in treatment effectiveness at slowing disease progression and reducing complications. There is need for tools that can quantitatively assess patients' knowledge of CKD. We aimed to translate the Kidney Disease Knowledge Survey (KiKS) to Turkish, validate the questionnaire among CKD patients, and identify the determinants of CKD knowledge.

The 28-item KiKS was translated into Turkish and administered to 271 CKD patients not on dialysis. Reliability of survey questions was assessed using Cronbach's α coefficient. Hotelling's T-squared test was used to measure effectiveness and homogeneity of the scale. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed to identify the determinants of CKD knowledge.

The mean age of participants was 56.7 ± 13.0 years; 54.2% were male, and 68.3% had CKD stages 3 - 5. Cronbach's α value of scale for the 28-item KiKS was 0.804, confirming its reliability (p < 0.001). Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that CKD stage 3 patients were associated with lower KiKS scores compared to stage 1. Participants who were aware of their CKD diagnosis and used the internet to obtain information about kidney disease had higher scores.

The Turkish version of KiKS is reliable and valid to assess the knowledge level of Turkish CKD patients. Advanced stages of CKD were associated with less knowledge about kidney disease in this population. Targeted educational interventions or longitudinal studies are needed to assess the impact of improved CKD knowledge on clinical outcomes.