Gauging the level of chronic kidney disease self-management behaviours of patients in a general practice

Background\ud \ud - Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a debilitating disease and people with CKD bear the primary responsibility for its day-to-day management. In order to effectively self-manage, these individuals need skill training and education. However, only one CKD specific validated instrument has been identified in literature.\ud \ud Aim\ud \ud - To measure levels of CKD self-management in patients attending a General Practice.\ud \ud Method\ud \ud - A cross-section of 78 adults with CKD stages 1– 4, recruited from a General Practice during 2015 completed the CKD self-management instrument (32 items; maximum score = 128). Additional data collected included demographic and renal characteristics.\ud \ud Results\ud \ud - Participants’ mean age was 67 (ranging from 31 to 88) years and 51.3% were males. Most of the participants had CKD stages 3a and 3b (65.4%). The majority of participants had completed high school (42.3%) and most were retired (64.1%). Self-management scores ranged from 51 to 125 (51 ± 125). Mean self-management scores were high across all CKD stages, with a large range of scores in the different stages. People with CKD stage 3B had the highest mean score (92.4 ± 16.9) while those with CKD stage 1, had the lowest (87.7 ± 22.9). Self-management scores were slightly higher in males (91.7 ± 17.8) than in females (90.9 ± 17.2).\ud \ud Conclusion\ud \ud - Regardless of CKD stage, people are required to engage in self-management behaviours. This instrument could be used in Australia to identify those in need of education to enhance self-management, and whether self-management behaviours are sustained