[Validation of a questionnaire to assess patient knowledge of their medicines].
OBJECTIVE
Patient knowledge of their medicines is closely associated to a better rational use of drugs, thus achieving better health outcomes from their use. The objective of this study is to design and validate a questionnaire to assess the level of knowledge patients have about their medicines.


METHODS
(A) Questionnaire: Literature review, some qualitative techniques (expert panel, brainstorming, Delphi method) and some pilot studies. (B) Questionnaire validation.


METHODS
A community pharmacy in the city of Malaga.


METHODS
Patients attending the selected pharmacy, asking for at least one medicine.


METHODS
The discriminant capacity of the items was assessed. Content and construct validity were analysed using the Spearman's Rho coefficient and Factor Analysis method. Reliability was assessed by measuring internal consistency, equivalence (inter-observer concordance) and test-retest reliability.


RESULTS
The final questionnaire, with 11 items explaining the different dimensions of knowledge found, was completed by 102 patients (a response rate of 95.3%) with a mean age of 46.6 years (SD 16.70). Mean time to complete it was 4.9 min (SD 2.2). Factor analysis showed a probable structure of 4 factors explaining the 67% of the total variance. The Spearman-Brown Rho coefficient was 0.30 (p<0.05). Cronbach alpha was 0.677, Kappa's coefficient=0.99 and intra-class correlation coefficient=0.745 (95% CI: 0.49-0.87).


CONCLUSIONS
The designed questionnaire is dynamic, valid and reliable, being able to measure the level of patient knowledge on the medicines they use.
García Delgado
Pilar
P
Grupo de investigación en Atención Farmacéutica (CTS-131), Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, Granada, España. pgarciadelgado@yahoo.es
Gastelurrutia Garralda
Miguel Angel
MA
Baena Parejo
María Isabel
MI
Fisac Lozano
Federico
F
Martínez Martínez
Fernando
F
D005260:Female; D057220:Health Literacy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D055553:Prescription Drugs; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D055553:Prescription Drugs