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Revised Diabetes Knowledge Test fast, affordable approach for testing knowledge, self-care
The revised Diabetes Knowledge Test offers a fast and inexpensive means of evaluating patients’ general knowledge of diabetes and diabetes self-care, according to recent findings.
However, the validity and reliability of the test may vary based on demographic characteristics of tested populations, the researchers wrote.
James T. Fitzgerald, PhD, of the department of learning health sciences at the University of Michigan, and colleagues evaluated the reliability and validity of the revised Diabetes Knowledge Test in two separate patient samples. The updated test consists of a 14-item general test and a nine-item insulin use subscale. One patient sample was recruited by Qualtrics LLC, an online survey company (n =110) and the other from the University of Michigan’s division of metabolism, endocrinology and diabetes registry (MEND; n = 89).
Researchers evaluated various demographic characteristics of the two samples to ascertain any potential differences. Validity was tested through four separate analyses, and scores were calculated by diabetes type, treatment type, education level and diabetes duration.
Researchers found demographic disparities between the two samples with differences observed in all characteristics except age. Ethnic diversity and type 2 diabetes were more prevalent among the Qualtrics cohort (91%) while treatment with insulin alone (54%), receipt of diabetes education (100%) and more formal education (71%) were more common in the MEND participants. A combination of the samples revealed a more balanced distribution for diabetes type, treatment type and education levels.
In the Qualtrics cohort, the coefficient alphas for the overall test and the insulin use subscale suggested reliable measures while the MEND reliability estimates were significantly lower. A combination of the samples found that reliability improved significantly with the coefficient alphas showing reliability for both the general test and the insulin use subscale.
Similar patterns for test scores were seen by diabetes treatment and diabetes type. A difference was found for general test scores of the Qualtrics cohort for participants using medications only and those using insulin and medications (P < .01).
“As with the [Diabetes Knowledge Test], the usefulness of the [revised Diabetes Knowledge Test] is dependent on the objective of the clinician, researcher or student,” the researchers wrote. “The [revised Diabetes Knowledge Test] provides a quick and low-cost method of assessing a patient’s or a population’s general knowledge of diabetes and diabetes self-care. The revised [Diabetes Knowledge Test] is available to clinicians and researchers at no cost.” – by Jennifer Byrne
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.