It is necessary to develop self-reported instruments that evaluate the process of living with chronic heart failure (HF) holistically. The Living with Chronic Illness Scale—HF (LW-CI-HF) is the only available tool to evaluate how patients are living with HF. The aim is to analyse the psychometric properties of the LW-CI scale in the HF population. An international, cross-sectional validation study was carried out in 603 patients living with HF from Spain and Colombia. The variables measured were living with HF, perceived social support, satisfaction with life, quality of life and global impression of severity. The LW-CI-HF scale presented good data quality and acceptability. All domains showed high internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha coefficient ≥ 0.7. The intraclass correlation coefficient for the total score was satisfactory (0.9) in test–retest reliability. The LW-CI-HF correlated 0.7 with social support and quality of life measures. Standard error of measurement was 6.5 for total scale. The LW-CI-HF scale is feasible, reliable and valid. However, results should be taken with caution in order to be used in clinical practice to evaluate the complex process of living with HF. Further research is proposed.

Background Worldwide, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases and one of those producing greatest impact on patients’ day-to-day quality of life. Our study aim is to validate the “Living with Chronic Illness Scale” for a Spanish-speaking T2DM population. Methods In this observational, international, cross-sectional study, 582 persons with T2DM were recruited in primary care and outpatient hospital consultations, in Spain and Colombia, during the period from May 2018 to June 2019. The properties analysed were feasibility/acceptability, internal consistency, reliability, precision and (structural) content-construct validity including confirmatory factor analysis. The COSMIN checklist was used to assess the methodological/psychometric quality of the instrument. Results The scale had an adequate internal consistency and test retest reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.90; intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.96, respectively). In addition, the instrument is precise (standard error of measurement = 3.34, with values < ½SD = 8.52) and correlates positively with social support (DUFSS) (rs = 0.56), quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF) (rs = 0.51–0.30) and ssatisfaction with life (SLS-6) (rs = 0.50–0.38). The original 26-items version of the scale did not support totally the confirmatory factor analysis. The COSMIN checklist is favourable for all the properties analysed, although weaknesses are detected for structural validity. Conclusions The LW-CI-T2DM is a valid, reliable and accurate instrument for use in clinical practice to determine how a person’s life is affected by the presence of diabetes. This instrument correlates well with the associated constructs of social support, quality of life and satisfaction. Additional research is needed to determine how well the questionnaire structure performs when robust factor analysis methods are applied.

ObjectivesTo validate the Living with Chronic Illness (LW-CI) Scale in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).DesignObservational, cross-sectional validation study with retest. Acceptability, reliability, precision and construct validity were tested.SettingThe study took place in primary and secondary specialised units of public and private hospitals of Spain and Colombia.ParticipantsThe study included 612 patients with COPD assessed from May 2018 to May 2019. A consecutive cases sampling was done. Inclusion criteria included: (A) patients with a diagnosis of COPD; (B) native Spanish speaking; (C) able to read and understand questionnaires; and (D) able to provide informed consent. Exclusion criteria included: (A) cognitive deterioration and (B) pharmacological effect or disorder that could disrupt the assessment.ResultsThe LW-CI-COPD presented satisfactory data quality, with no missing data or floor/ceiling effects, showing high internal consistency for all the domains (Cronbach’s alpha for the total score 0.92). Test–retest reliability was satisfactory (intraclass correlation coefficient=0.92). The LW-CI-COPD correlated 0.52–0.64 with quality of life and social support measures. The scale demonstrated satisfactory known-groups validity, yielding significantly different scores in patients grouped according to COPD severity levels.ConclusionsThis has been the first validation study of the LW-CI-COPD. It is a feasible, reliable, valid and precise self-reported scale to measure living with COPD in the Spanish-speaking population. Therefore, it could be recommended for research and clinical practice to measure this concept and evaluate the impact of centred-care interdisciplinary interventions based on the patients’ perspective, focused on providing holistic and comprehensive care to patients with COPD.

Background: Worldwide, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases and one of those producing greatest impact on patients’ day-to-day quality of life. Our study aim is to validate the “Living with Chronic Illness Scale” for a Spanish-speaking T2DM population.Methods: In this observational, international, cross-sectional study, 582 persons with T2DM were recruited in primary care and outpatient hospital consultations, in Spain and Colombia, during the period from May 2018 to June 2019. The properties analysed were feasibility/acceptability, internal consistency, reliability, precision and (structural) content-construct validity including confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The COSMIN checklist was used to assess the methodological/psychometric quality of the instrument.Results: The scale had an adequate internal consistency and test retest reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.90; intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.96, respectively). In addition, the instrument is precise (standard error of measurement = 3.34, with values <½SD = 8.52) and correlates positively with social support (DUFSS) (rs = 0.56), quality of life (WHOQOL) (rs = 0.51-0.30) and satisfaction (SLS-6) (rs = 0.50-0.38). The CFA supported the 5-domains structure, but a 23-item version showed better fit: CMIN/df= 3.11; goodness of fit index= 0.91; comparative fit index= 0.91 and root mean square error of approximation = 0.06 (90% confidence interval, 0.06-0.07). The COSMIN checklist is favourable for all the properties analysed, although weaknesses are detected for content validity.Conclusions: “Living with T2DM” (LW-T2DM) is a valid, reliable and accurate instrument for use in clinical practice to determine how a person’s life is affected by the presence of diabetes. This instrument correlates well with the associated constructs of social support, quality of life and satisfaction. Additional research is needed to determine how well the questionnaire structure performs when robust factor analysis methods are applied.

Objective: to assess the effect of a care intervention focused on meeting the needs of family members of surgical patients during the surgery waiting time, when compared to conventional care. Method: a study with a quasi-experimental design that was developed from December 2019 to February 2020 and included 313 family members (Intervention Group=149 and Control Group=164) from a private hospital. The intervention consisted in four moments: “knowing the surgical environment and process”, “information when the surgery starts”, “information when the surgery ends”, and “family-patient reunion”. The “satisfaction” variable was assessed through the “Patient Satisfaction with Nursing Care Quality Questionnaire” instrument. The data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics. The study observed the ethical principles in research. Results: the family members in the Intervention Group presented greater satisfaction with Nursing care, 90.07(9.8), when compared to the Comparison Group, 78.72(16.38), with an 11.35-point increase(p=0.000). Conclusion: the results showed that the families that received the intervention on the patient’s status during the surgery waiting time were more satisfied with Nursing care in comparison to the conventional intervention.