• Patricia L Hart, LeeAnna Spiva, and Laura P Kimble.
• Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA 30144, USA. hartrish@bellsouth.net
• J Clin Nurs. 2011 Nov 1; 20 (21-22): 3020-8.

AimsTo compare the psychometric properties of the original dichotomously scored Nurses' Knowledge of Heart Failure Self-Management Education Principles Survey with a Likert scored version.BackgroundNurses must be knowledgeable of HF self-management principles to provide optimal education to patients. Psychometrically strong instruments to measure nurses' knowledge of HF self-management provide important insight into gaps of nurses' knowledge.DesignThis psychometric study had a two phase non-experimental design comparing the psychometric characteristics of two versions of an existing survey in addition to test-retest reliability of the revised survey.MethodsA convenience sample of 122 nurses was recruited from a healthcare system located in the Southeastern USA. Data were collected from August 2006 through December 2006. Nurses completed the two versions of the survey.ResultsThe sample was predominantly Caucasian (76%), female (95%) with a mean age of 42 years (SD 11·4). Internal consistency reliability was 0·27 for the dichotomously scored version of the survey and 0·70 for the Likert scored version. The test-retest reliability of the Likert scored survey was r = 0·66. Data from individual Likert scored items indicated nurses were most knowledgeable about the need to continue daily weights even after HF symptoms are gone (mean = 4·43, SD 0·51) and least knowledgeable about how to advise asymptomatic patients to manage a low BP reading (mean = 2·11, SD 0·98).ConclusionThe Likert scored version of the Nurses' Knowledge of Heart Failure Self-Management Principles Survey was stronger psychometrically than the dichotomously scored version.Relevance To Clinical PracticeTeaching HF self-management skills to patients is challenging and it is important to identify nurses' gaps in knowledge of self-management principles. The psychometrically sound Likert scored version of the survey potentially may be used to identify nurses' knowledge gaps and inform staff development in-services.© 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

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