Validity and reliability of the Russian-language version of the Self-Care of Heart Failure Index in patients with heart failure

Abstract

Aim. To assess the validity and reliability of the Russian-language version of The SelfCare of Heart Failure Index (SCHFI, version 6.2) in patients with heart failure (HF).

Material and methods. The translation of the SCHFI (version 6.2) into Russian was performed according to the Brislin’s model. The Russian version of the SCHFI was tested in 128 patients with NYHA class II-IV HF (mean age 63,6Ѓ}8,8 years, 70,3% men). The Cronbach’s alpha, test-retest reliability, construct (confirmatory factor analysis) and concurrent (comparison of the SCHFI and European Heart Failure Self-Care Behavior Scale (EHFScBS_9) results) validities were determined.

Results. The Cronbach’s alpha for the SCHFI scale was 0,74 and characterized sufficient level of test reliability. The test-retest reliability (estimated after 3 months of observation) was 0,81 (p<0,01), which also indicates a sufficient level of reliability. The baseline level of selfcare ability in HF patients according to SCHFI was 136,8Ѓ}40,6 points. The factor analysis confirmed the expediency of dividing the SCHFI into 3 sections: A — self-care maintenance, B — self-care management, C — self-care confidence. Analysis of the concurrent validity of the SCHFI and EHFScBS_9 revealed an inverse correlation between both scales.

Conclusion. The Russian-language version of The Self-Care of Heart Failure Index (version 6.2) is a simple and effective tool for assessing self-care ability in HF patients, and can be used both in clinical trials and in actual clinical practice.