Medication identification in pediatric asthma (MED ID): The reliability and validity of a novel screening tool

To evaluate the reliability and validity of medication identification (MED ID), a novel survey assessing caregiver-perceived ability to identify inhaled asthma medications.

We analyzed baseline data from the School-Based Asthma Care for Teens trial in Rochester, NY. Caregivers of adolescents with persistent asthma named the inhaled medications used by their child and identified medications on a pictorial chart. Accurate identification was defined as completed matches between listed names and selected images. Caregivers answered the MED ID survey of four scaled questions on perceived ability to identify inhaled medications. We determined internal consistency reliability using Cronbach's alpha; examined concurrent validity by comparing MED ID sum scores with accurate identification using bivariate and multivariate analyses; and assessed the diagnostic utility of MED ID through receiver operating characteristic analysis.

126 caregivers (76% of enrolled) reported >1 inhaled medication; 52% of caregivers accurately identified medications. Two MED ID questions were removed during analysis. The two remaining questions had a score range of 2-10 points; higher scores indicate greater caregiver-perceived ability to identify medications. The Cronbach's alpha was 0.603. Accurate identification of medications was associated with a higher mean MED ID score (8.6 vs 7.6, p = 0.01). Accuracy was most strongly associated with MED ID scores ≥8 points (88% vs 60%, p < 0.001, Phi 0.32); findings were consistent in regression analysis. The greatest area under the curve was seen with MED ID scores ≥8 points (0.638).

The two-item MED ID survey is a reliable and valid way to assess caregiver's ability to identify inhaled asthma medications.