Instruments for Assessing Patient Independence in Self-Care: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Nursing Care
• Patient Self-Care Assessment
• Health Outcomes Measurement

Background:

• Assessing patient independence in self-care is crucial in nursing, particularly for internal medicine patients with diverse health conditions requiring assistance.
• Effective measurement tools are needed to guide clinical practice and improve patient care outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and evaluate instruments for measuring patients' independence in performing self-care activities.
• To provide healthcare practitioners with a comprehensive overview of available assessment tools.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review was conducted utilizing the PICO framework.
• Literature searches were performed across PubMed, Science Direct, and Scopus databases.

Main Results:

• Nine distinct instruments were identified for measuring patient self-care independence.
• These include the CDS, Barthel Index, Modified Barthel Index (MBI), SCHFI, ECOG, Self-care ability questionnaire, DCTAQ, and Revised Summary of Diabetes Self-Care.
• All identified instruments have demonstrated validity and reliability in various studies.

Conclusions:

• Multiple valid and reliable instruments exist for assessing patient self-care independence.
• The selection of the most appropriate instrument depends on the specific clinical context and the intended purpose of the assessment.
• No single instrument is universally superior; each offers unique advantages for healthcare practitioners.