Development and psychometric testing of the self-care scale for patients with chronic atrial fibrillation (AF-SCS-10)

Abstract

Background Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) require continuous self-care due to possible complications and side effects from treatment. However, existing tools do not capture all of the critical factors of AF self-care and have limited evidence of reliability and validity. Aims The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a new Atrial Fibrillation Self-Care Scale-10 (AF-SCS-10) that assesses disease-specific, multidimensional, person-centered self-care for AF patients in South Korea. Methods For this cross-sectional research design, 290 individuals over 20 years of age with a diagnosis of AF for at least three months were recruited. A literature review and in-depth interviews were utilized to identify the scale items. An expert panel evaluated the validity and reliability of a preliminary scale. Exploratory factor analysis and parallel analysis was performed to extract factors; confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to evaluate fit on the factor structures. Criterion validity was supported by the correlation between AF-SCS-10 and AF quality of life. Results The internal consistency reliability coefficient was 0.87. Three factors, “self-care knowledge,” “self-care behavior,” and “self-care resources” were extracted from the exploratory factory analysis, explaining 79.30% of the total variance in the data. The three-factor model was also confirmed by parallel analysis; CFA met the fitness criteria. Conclusion There is preliminary evidence for internal consistency reliability, as well as content and construct validity, for the AF-SCS-10. Future research is needed to confirm the study results using a larger, more culturally diverse sample.

Engaging Patients in Atrial Fibrillation Self-Care: Opportunities for Future Research

“…Further, evidence indicates that patients are not actively involved in self-care activities within AF disease management, placing the onus for their health upon their provider, and taking little responsibility in their own care (Riegel et al, 2017). Of those patients wanting to be involved in their care, a recent study found that many patients feel rushed, ill-informed, and unequipped to deal with their AF following HCP interactions (Wilson et al, 2020). As many as one third of patients with an AF diagnosis are unaware they have AF, which significantly impacts their ability to engage in self-care (Son et al, 2020).…”

“…Of those patients wanting to be involved in their care, a recent study found that many patients feel rushed, ill-informed, and unequipped to deal with their AF following HCP interactions (Wilson et al, 2020). As many as one third of patients with an AF diagnosis are unaware they have AF, which significantly impacts their ability to engage in self-care (Son et al, 2020). Both health care providers and patients will need a major change in expectations about their respective roles in the prevention and management of CVD and stroke, if the benefits of self-care are to be realized (Riegel et al, 2017).…”