An integrative literature review of kidney transplantation knowledge tools

PURPOSE: This study aimed to identify knowledge measurement tools for kidney transplantation (KT) and confirm their assessment methods, domains, and validity to provide useful information. DESIGN: An integrative review based on Whittemore and Knafl’s (2005) framework and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines. METHODS: An integrative search was conducted using four English databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library) and the top three Korean databases (RISS, DBpia, and KISS). Search terms and strategies included (“kidney transplant*” OR “renal transplant*” OR “kidney replace*” OR “renal replace*” OR “kidney graft” OR “renal graft”) & (knowledge OR awareness) & (scale OR tool OR instrument OR questionnaire OR inventory). The time limit was set to February 2022. The extracted data included the content of the tools, participants, and psychometrics. Quality of life was assessed using a psychometric grading framework. RESULTS: A total of 15 studies and 13 tools were reviewed. Of these, seven studies (46.7%) targeted KT patients, five (33.3%) targeted KT candidates, and three (20.0%) included both groups. The number of items in the tools ranged from five to 33 items. Furthermore, seven tools comprised true-false questions and eight multiple-choice questions. The domains of the KT knowledge measurement tool used in each study differed across study participants. Both reliability and validity were confirmed in six tools, and only two showed a grade of “adequate” or higher. CONCLUSION: A validated tool is required to measure KT knowledge. These tools can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of educational interventions in promoting self-management after KT. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022334559.