%0 Journal Article
%T Generic and disease-specific self-care instruments in older patients affected by multiple chronic conditions: A descriptive study.
%A Maria M
%A Saurini M
%A Erba I
%A Vellone E
%A Riegel B
%A Ausili D
%A Matarese M
%J J Clin Nurs
%V 0
%N 0
%D 2024 Aug 5
%M 39101399
%F 4.423
%R 10.1111/jocn.17397
%X <B>OBJECTIVE: </B>To describe and compare generic and disease-specific self-care measures in patients with multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) in the three dimensions of self-care maintenance, monitoring, and management.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>Multicentre cross-sectional study.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>Patients aged 65 and over with MCCs. We used Self-Care of Chronic Illness Inventory to measure generic self-care, Self-care of Diabetes Inventory to measure self-care in diabetes mellitus, Self-Care of Heart Failure (HF) Index to measure self-care in HF, and Self-Care of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Inventory to measure self-care in chronic lung diseases.<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>We recruited 896 patients. Multimorbid patients with diabetes had lower scores on the self-care maintenance scale, and diabetic patients in insulin treatment on the generic management scale than on the disease-specific instrument. Multimorbid patients with HF or chronic lung diseases scored higher on generic self-care maintenance and monitoring scales than disease-specific ones. There was a partial consistency between the generic and disease-specific self-care maintenance and management. Inadequate behaviours were recorded in disease-specific self-care monitoring rather than generic ones.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>Older patients affected by MCCs scored differently in the generic and disease-specific instruments, showing inadequate self-care in some of the three self-care dimensions.<BR><B>UNASSIGNED: </B>The choice between generic and disease-specific instruments to use in clinical practice and research should be made considering the specific aims, settings, patients characteristics, and knowledge of the different performance of the instruments by users.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>No study has described and compared generic and specific self-care measures in patients affected by MCCs. Knowing these differences can help nurses choose the most suitable measure for their aims, context, and patients and plan generic and disease-specific self-care educational interventions for those behaviours in which MCCs patients perform poorly.<BR><B>UNASSIGNED: </B>Patients were informed about the study, provided informed consent, and answered questionnaires through interviews.