Development and validation of the Venous Thromboembolism Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (VTE-KAP) questionnaire in patients with rheumatic diseases

We aimed to develop and validate an instrument (VTE-KAP) for the measurement of knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to VTE among patients with rheumatic diseases in China.The study consisted of two phases. Phase I was based on the theory of knowledge-attitude-practice (KAP), and the development phase included thorough literature analysis, expert reviews, and pilot testing. The initial pool of questionnaire items was developed through a literature review and group discussions. Thirteen senior experts were invited to participate in two rounds of expert consultation to test the face and content validity of the questionnaire. Pilot testing was conducted in phase II to assess validity and reliability. The validation phase included content validity, face validity, internal consistency reliability, and test-retest reliability. A total of 285 patients with rheumatic diseases in tertiary care hospitals in China participated in the pilot test, 29 of whom were retested after an interval of 1~2 weeks to assess the test-retest reliability of the questionnaire.The VTE-KAP questionnaire was found to be psychometrically valid and reliable. Therefore, it can be used to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of patients with rheumatic diseases regarding VTE.