Endocrine Abstracts

Aim: Self-monitoring of blood glucose has an important place in ensuring diabetes management. For diabetic individuals to measure their blood glucose level correctly with recommended frequency and technique, their blood glucose measurement technique, knowledge, and skills should be checked regularly with reliable measurement tools. This study aimed to develop a reliable instrument for assessing blood glucose self-monitoring skills in diabetic patients. The purpose of the scale is to evaluate the level of blood glucose self-monitoring in diabetic patients.

Method: This is a methodological study. The scale item pool was developed in line with the data obtained from the literature review and expert opinions. Validity analyses were evaluated with construct validity and content validity. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, test-retest and parallel form reliability were used to assess reliability. In determining the study sample, it was planned to have a ratio of 10 times the number of scale items and data collected from 207 patients. The study data were collected through face-to-face interviews held with the participants by the researchers in June-December 2021 in a diabetes clinic of a research hospital.

Results: Among the patients included in the study, 60.4% were female, diabetes duration was 10.42±8.14 years, 78.3% had Type 2 diabetes, 35.7% used OAD+insulin, and 78.74% performed the recommended number of blood glucose measurements. In the study, a 3-point Likert-type “Blood Glucose Measurement Skill Assessment Form” consisting of 17 items was developed. The Scope Validity Index of the scale is 0.86. Seventeen items explained 79% of the total variance. One-factor Confirmatory Factor Analysis was performed to confirm the structure of the scale with factor weights ranging between 0.606 and 0.990. Cronbach’s alpha of the total scale was 0.82. Intraclass Correlation Coefficient was 0.975 (P<0.01), and the correlation coefficient of parallel form reliability was 0.611 (P<0.01).

Conclusions: The blood Glucose Measurement Competence Evaluation Form-BGM-CEF is a valid and reliable measurement tool which assesses the blood glucose self-measurement skills of diabetic patients.

Keywords: Blood Glucose Measurement, Instrument Development, Scale, Validity, Nursing.