Hypoglycemia knowledge assessment tool — Development and validation of the Hypoglycemia Management Knowledge Scale in Taiwan

Abstract

Background

Knowledge can guide and support behaviors. With accurate knowledge, patients are better equipped to engage in appropriate self-care behaviors and effectively manage hypoglycemia. However, there is currently a lack of reliable and valid assessment scales specifically designed to measure hypoglycemia knowledge, which could serve as valuable clinical evaluation tools for healthcare professionals.

Aim

To develop and validate a reliable and valid hypoglycemia management knowledge scale to assess the knowledge of hypoglycemia management in patients with diabetes.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted, recruiting 300 patients with type 2 diabetes who had experienced hypoglycemic events from a medical center and a primary care clinic in southern Taiwan between December 2021 and September 2023.

Results

Initially, 25 questions were selected, achieving a content validity index of 0.92. Through exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, the scale was refined into an 8-factor and 3-factor model, with factor loadings ranging from 0.5 to 0.9. The questions were categorized into three factors: blood glucose determination, carbohydrate supplementation, and blood glucose testing. The internal consistency, measured using the Kuder-Richardson 20 (KR-20), was 0.758.

Conclusions

The hypoglycemia management knowledge scale developed in this study demonstrated sufficient validity and reliability, making it a useful tool for quickly assessing patients' knowledge of hypoglycemia management and serving as a reference for hypoglycemia education.