Development and validation of a Chinese self-management ability assessment scale for patients with spinal cord injury.

PURPOSE: To develop and validate a scale for assessing self-management ability tailored for patients with spinal cord injury (SCI).

METHODS

The theoretical framework for the scale was the Integrated Theory of Health Behavior Change as well as the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health. The initial version of the scale was developed through literature review, qualitative interviews, and the Delphi expert consensus method. A total of 295 patients with SCI participated in the reliability and validity testing.

RESULTS

The final scale consisted of 45 items across 5 dimensions: disease knowledge management, information and resource management, social-psychological management, daily behavior management, and rehabilitation exercise. The 5 dimensions displayed high reliability, with Cronbach's α values of 0.845-0.974, test-retest reliabilities of 0.718-0.94 and split-half reliabilities of 0.892-0.96. The content validity index was 0.961. Exploratory factor analysis identified five common factors, accounting for 66.105% of the cumulative variance.

CONCLUSION

The self-management ability assessment scale for patients with SCI that was developed in this study was found to have acceptable reliability and validity and could effectively evaluate the self-management ability capacity of patients with SCI.