Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Self-Care in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Inventory based on the Middle-Range Theory of Self-Care of Chronic Illness

AimsTo test the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Self-Care in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Inventory on a sample of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in China.BackgroundMeasuring the self-care of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is vital to promote the performance of effective self-care behaviours. However, few instruments have been developed to measure self-care in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and the existing instruments lack theoretical support and satisfactory psychometrics properties. The Self-Care in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Inventory based on Middle-Range Theory of Self-Care of Chronic Illness has been developed and tested previously in Italian and US population.DesignA cross-sectional instrument development study.MethodsConstruct validity was tested by confirmatory factor analysis and hypothesis testing, and reliability internal consistency using factor score determinacy coefficients.ResultsA convenience sample of 185 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was recruited from September 2020 to January 2022. The instrument consists of three scales: self-care maintenance, self-care monitoring and self-care management. Confirmatory factor analysis performed on the three scales produced good fit indices. The internal consistency was adequate with factor score determinacy coefficients ranging from 0.891 to 0.953 in Self-Care Maintenance Scale, 0.990 to 0.993 in Self-Care Monitoring Scale and 0.750 to 0.976 in Self-Care Management Scale.ConclusionsThe Chinese version of the Self-Care in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Inventory has acceptable reliability and validity. Some differences from the original instrument were identified. Further validation studies should be conducted to confirm the psychometric properties of the instrument in Chinese population. What is already known about this topic?The Middle-Range Theory of Self-care of Chronic Illness has been used to direct clinical nursing practice for coronary heart disease, heart failure, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other chronic illnesses and has been shown to have good guiding significance for clinical nursing practice for the self-care of clinical chronic illness.In patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, self-care has a significant positive effect on preserving disease stability and enhancing health-related quality of life.There is a shortage of moderate length evaluation instruments for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease self-care with comprehensive theoretical assessment content, but the Self-Care in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Inventory, based on the Middle-Range Theory of Self-care of Chronic Illness, has been demonstrated to have positive application effects in Italy and the United States. However, its applicability in China is unclear.What this paper adds?This paper indicates that the Chinese version of the Self-Care in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Inventory has good reliability and validity and can reflect the self-care ability of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in China.The implications of this paper:The results show that the Chinese version of the Self-Care in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Inventory is simple and accessible, and nurses can use it to assess patients' capacity for self-care regularly.The Chinese version of the Self-Care Scale has different dimensions from the original scale, indicating that different medical backgrounds and varying understanding of concept of self-care in various nations may result in various self-care behaviours.To ensure its wider application, the development of this scale necessitates cross-cultural adaptation of populations in more countries.