Evaluation of the European Heart Failure Self-care Behaviour Scale in a United Kingdom population.
OBJECTIVE
This paper is a report of a study to test the internal consistency, reliability and validity of the 12-item European Heart Failure Self-care Behaviour Scale in an English-speaking sample in the United Kingdom.


BACKGROUND
The European Heart Failure Self-care Behaviour Scale quantifies the measures patients take to manage their heart failure. Produced in the Netherlands and Sweden, it has been translated into English.


METHODS
A convenience sample of 183 patients (response rate 85%) with heart failure (New York Heart Association, Class I-IV) was recruited from an outpatient clinic between July 2004 and July 2005. Mainly men (n = 143), they had a mean age of 65.6 years (sd = 12.3). They completed the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire, the Self-Care of Heart Failure Index, and the European Heart Failure Self-care Behaviour Scale during their clinic visit. The latter questionnaire was repeated at home within 2 weeks.


RESULTS
The scale was reliable but internal consistency was only moderate (Cronbach's alpha = 0.69) and lower than in other European populations. It appears to be repeatable in the short-term. Comparison with the Self-Care of Heart Failure Index raised questions about whether the two questionnaires measured the same concept. Variance in self-care was not explained by gender, age or severity of heart failure.


CONCLUSIONS
As self-care is an important component in the life of patients with heart failure, further exploration of the methods for measuring patients' self-care behaviours is warranted to enable healthcare staff to assess patients effectively. This would also help in understanding the applicability of tools in a range of patients, cultures and settings.
Shuldham
Caroline
C
Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Trust, London, UK. c.shuldham@rbht.nhs.uk
Theaker
Chris
C
Jaarsma
Tiny
T
Cowie
Martin R
MR
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012648:Self Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D006113:United Kingdom