Polish adaptation and reliability testing of the nine-item European Heart Failure Self-care Behaviour Scale (9-EHFScBS).

BACKGROUND: According to the guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology, education in heart failure (HF) should focus on preparing the patient for self-control and self-care. Only systematic assessment of the level of self-care in HF enables the optimisation and adaptation of education to meet the patient's needs. The research tool commonly used to assess self-care in HF patients is the nine-item European Heart Failure Self-care Behaviour Scale (9-EHFScBS).

AIM: To test the reliability of the Polish version of the 9-EHFScBS.

METHODS: A standard guideline was used for the translation and cultural adaptation of the English version of the 9-EHFScBS into Polish. The study included 110 Polish patients (mean age 66.0 ± 11.4 years); 51 men and 59 women. Cronbach's alpha was used for the analysis of the internal consistency of the 9-EHFScBS.

RESULTS: The mean overall level of self-care in the study group was 27.65 points (SD 7.13 points). Good or satisfactory levels of self-care were found in three out of nine analysed variables. The reliability of the self-care scale was alpha = 0.787. The value of Cronbach's alpha after the exclusion of individual statements ranged from 0.75 to 0.81.

CONCLUSIONS: The 9-EHFScBS questionnaire is a reliable research tool in assessing the level of self-care among patients with HF in the Polish population.