Construction and validation of a scale of assessment of self‐care behaviours anticipatory to creation of arteriovenous fistula

Aims and objectives We developed a scale to assess the self‐care behaviours developed by patients with end‐stage renal disease to preserve the vascular network prior to construction of arteriovenous fistula. Background The possibility of creation of an arteriovenous fistula depends on the existence of an arterial and venous network in good condition, namely the size and elasticity of the vessels. It is essential to teach the person to develop self‐care behaviours for the preservation of the vascular network, regardless of the modality of dialysis selected. Design Methodological study. Methods The scale was developed based on clinical experience and research conducted by the researcher in the area of the vascular access for haemodialysis. The content of the scale was judged by two panels of experts for content validity. The revised version of the scale was administered to a convenience sample of 90 patients with end‐stage renal disease. In the statistical analysis, we used the Cronbach's alpha, the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin and scree plot and the principal component analysis with varimax rotation. Results A principal component analysis confirmed the univariate structure of the scale (KMO = 0·759, Bartlett's sphericity test‐approximate χ2 142·201, p