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What are validated self-report adherence scales really measuring?: a systematic review
Thi-My-Uyen Nguyen1, Adam La Caze, Neil Cottrell
1Pharmacy Australia Centre of Excellence - School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Queensland, 4102, Australia.
Medication adherence scales help understand patient behavior and barriers. Selecting the right scale requires considering what to measure and how it was validated for effective patient support.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Health Services Research
- Psychometrics
Background:
- Medication non-adherence is a major healthcare challenge.
- Existing adherence measurement methods have limitations.
- No single method effectively captures all aspects of adherence.
Purpose of the Study:
- Identify self-report medication adherence scales correlated with behavioral measures.
- Assess how these scales measure adherence.
- Explore the validation methods used for these scales.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of CINAHL and PubMed databases up to August 2012.
- Searched for articles on development/validation of medication adherence scales.
- Extracted and compared data on barriers and validation measures.
Main Results:
- Included 60 articles, identifying 43 distinct adherence scales.
- Scales assess medication-taking behavior, barriers, or beliefs.
- Validation strategies varied based on the scale's focus.
Conclusions:
- Understanding medication-taking behavior, barriers, and beliefs is crucial for patient adherence.
- Adherence scales can explore these aspects, but current focus is on behavior measurement.
- Choosing the appropriate scale necessitates evaluating measurement goals and validation evidence.
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