The Self‐Management Assessment Scale: Development and psychometric testing of a screening instrument for person‐centred guidance and self‐management support

AIM: To develop and psychometrically test the Self‐Management Assessment Scale (SMASc), a screening instrument for person‐centred guidance and self‐management support of persons with type 2 diabetes (T2D). BACKGROUND: T2D is a common and globally increasing chronic condition. Improved self‐management is a vital and integral component of diabetes care to prevent complications from poorly managed diabetes. For diabetes nurses to better understand persons with diabetes experienced challenges and needs regarding self‐management and further for persons with T2D to take an active role in managing their condition, an instrument measuring this is needed. DESIGN: Instrument development and psychometric testing of the content and construct validity, factor structure and reliability. METHOD: The SMASc was psychometric tested on a sample of participants (September 2017–November 2017) with a confirmed diagnosis of T2D (N = 104). RESULTS: Psychometric findings were satisfactory and supported the scale´s reliability. Cronbach's alpha, CVI and goodness‐of‐fit were acceptable. CONCLUSION: Self‐Management Assessment Scale is a short validated screening instrument, which can indicate possible barriers for self‐management that ought to be approached during the conversation between the person with T2D and the primary healthcare nurses. Therefore, it is a promising instrument to be used to facilitate person‐centred guidance and to improve self‐management of people living with T2D.