Scale for Assessing Understanding of Benefits and Risks of Using Complementary Therapies in Diabetes Management:...

Area of Science:

• Health Sciences
• Patient Education
• Complementary Therapies

Background:

• Lack of a comprehensive tool to assess patient understanding of complementary therapies (CTs) in diabetes management.
• Potential risks include unsafe CT use, misinformed decisions, adverse interactions, and compromised health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• Develop an instrument to assess patient understanding of CT benefits and risks in diabetes management.
• Evaluate the psychometric properties of the developed scale.

Main Methods:

• Two-phase design: scale development and psychometric validation.
• Expert panel confirmed content validity; cross-sectional survey assessed reliability and validity in 307 diabetic outpatients.
• Validated using factor analyses, Person correlation, and Cronbach's alpha.

Main Results:

• The 15-item Understanding the Benefits-Risks of CT Use in Diabetes Scale demonstrated good content validity (CVI=.88).
• Factor analysis identified four dimensions: medical condition, benefit-risk assessment, suitability, and healthcare professional support.
• The scale showed good internal consistency (α=.912) and criterion-related validity (r=.425 with Diabetes Empowerment Scale).

Conclusions:

• The developed scale provides valuable insights into patient understanding of CTs in diabetes management.
• It aids healthcare professionals in identifying knowledge gaps, tailoring education, and ensuring safe CT integration.
• The tool supports informed decision-making and improved patient outcomes.