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Abstract
Objectives The Self-Management Analysis in Chronic Conditions (SMACC) checklist was developed as a guidance tool to support the development, comparison and evaluation of self-management support programmes for persons with a chronic condition. The checklist was based on a previously performed concept analysis of self-management. The aim of this study was to validate its content using an international Delphi study and to deliver a final version.
Design A two-round Delphi study was conducted between October 2022 and January 2023. Using the researchers’ networks, professionals with research or clinical expertise in self-management support and chronic conditions were recruited via online purposive snowball sampling. Participants were asked to score each item of the checklist (16 items total) on 3 content validity indicators: (1) clarity and comprehensibility, (2) relevance and importance and (3) degree of alignment with the overall goal of the checklist to promote adequate and comprehensive self-management support programmes. A consensus threshold of 75% agreement was used. The participants were also asked general questions about the checklist as a whole and were asked to provide feedback considering its refinement.
Results Fifty-four professionals with an average 14.5 years of experience participated in round 1, 48 with an average 12.5 years of experience participated in round 2. The majority of professionals were from Western Europe. For the majority of items consensus was reached after round 1. In round 2, 3 of the 4 remaining items reached consensus, 1 last item was retained based on highly recurring feedback.
Conclusions The SMACC checklist was considered a valid and comprehensive tool to aid the development, evaluation and comparison of self-management support programmes. It was acknowledged as a useful instrument to supplement existing frameworks and was seen as feasible to implement in both research and clinical settings. Further validation in the field, with input from patients and peer experts, will be valuable.
- quality of life
- self care
- primary health care
Data availability statement
All data relevant to the study are included in the article or uploaded as supplementary information.
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Data availability statement
All data relevant to the study are included in the article or uploaded as supplementary information.
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Footnotes
Contributors TM led the writing of the final manuscript. TM, EC, DVdV, LA, KB, IB, HD, SD, VD, ED, SH, ALen, LM, FS, LS, EVM and BVP analysed and interpreted the data. TM, LA, KB, IB, HD, SD, VD, ED, SH, ALen, LM, FS, LS, EVM and BVP had substantial contribution in data acquisition, analysis and interpretation. TM, EC, DVdV and PDV had substantial contribution in the study conception and design, data analysis and interpretation. LA, KB, IB, HD, SD, VD, ED, SH, ALen, LM, FS, LS, EVM and BVP provided a first draft based on the outline by TM and DVdV. TM, DVdV, PDV, SDB, MA-T, MR-B, AB, UC, CE, MJ, KHL, TS and DS initially contacted clinical and research experts in their networks and respective countries. ALey and DV designed an initial version of the checklist. All authors revised and approved the final version of the manuscript. TM and DVdV are the guarantors of the study.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient and public involvement We did not explicitly include public or patient involvement, beyond the recruited healthcare professionals, in the design and development of the checklist as it was based on a previously conducted concept analysis of the literature. With this study, our primary focus was on the expertise and objectivity of healthcare providers and researchers, building on the evidence-based theoretical foundations identified in the concept analysis and further incorporating expert knowledge before incorporating the perspective of patients. Further validation with patients will be required to ensure the ultimate reliability and applicability of the checklist. The included version of the checklist will be published on a publicly accessible website of Ghent University. Additionally, it will be disseminated to non-research-specific settings (eg, primary care settings) where it will undergo further validation in the field.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
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