Content Validity of a Self-Management Behavior Assessment Tool for Adult Post-Renal Transplant Recipients Using a Modified Delphi Method

Abstract

Background: Self-management is important for post-renal transplant recipients to resolve renal dysfunction, heart failure, and post-transplant psychosocial issues, and to maintain transplant kidney function, etc. However, because recipients may be unable to adequately self-manage, healthcare providers need to provide self-management support for recipients to improve their skills and confidence in managing their disease. However, it is difficult to comprehensively assess the self-management behaviors in a busy outpatient support setting. Furthermore, since there are no uniform standards for assessment, it is based on the experience and abilities of medical personnel. Therefore, self-management behavior of post-renal transplant recipients is not sufficiently evaluated. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate content validity of a tool that can assess self-management behaviors of adult post-renal transplant recipients, consisting of consensus components from experts familiar with the follow-up of adult post-renal transplant recipients. Methods: A three-round modified Delphi method was used to assess the self-management behaviors of adult post-renal transplant recipients by a panel of experts consisting of certified transplant recipient coordinators, physicians, outpatient nurses, and researchers familiar with the follow-up of post-renal transplant recipients. Regarding management behaviors of adult post-renal transplant recipients, the experts rated the appropriateness and validity of each item using a Likert scale. Consensus ratings from the experts were made by calculating the median, interquartile range, and interquartile range percentage. In the third round, an item-level content validity index was calculated to assess content validity. Conclusions: The 41-item self-management behavior scale for kidney transplant recipients assessed self-management behaviors in five domains: medication, exercise, fluids and diet, disease and symptom prevention and management, and psychosocial adjustment. The content validity of this tool was confirmed, and it can be used to more easily assess the recipients’ self-management behaviors in the post-renal transplant follow-up. This tool can potentially contribute to the maintenance of transplant kidney function and high QOL in recipients.