title: Reliability of the Matson Evaluation of Drug Side Effects Scale (MEDS).
abstract: The potential negative effects of psychoactive medication are well documented. Given the high rate of their use in persons with mental retardation, the need to assess and identify these negative effects is great. The Matson Evaluation of Drug Side Effects (MEDS) was designed to evaluate commonly identified side effects with a psychometrically sound checklist. The initial psychometric properties of this scale are presented and discussed. An examination of interrater reliability and internal consistency revealed that the MEDS has excellent consistency across raters and good internal consistency. Potential uses for the scale and directions for future research are reviewed as well.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge 70803, USA.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Matson
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Mayville
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bielecki
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Bamburg
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Baglio
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D009460:Neurologic Examination / Q000187:drug effects; D015588:Observer Variation; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012920:Social Behavior Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced*
chemical_list: D011619:Psychotropic Drugs