Validation and psychometric properties of the 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8) in type 2 diabetes patients in Spain.

AIMS

To validate a translated and culturally adapted version of the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale for use in Spanish population, and to examine the psychometric properties of this scale in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Spain.

DESIGN

This cross-sectional study was conducted in a single university hospital in Spain. Patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus at least 1 year before inclusion, being treated with anti-diabetic medication were included.

INTERVENTION

We used the Spanish version of the scale to measure treatment adherence.

PRINCIPAL MEASUREMENTS

three level categorical scale is broken down into low adherence (score of <6), medium adherence (score of 6 to <8) and high adherence (score of 8). To validate the questionnaire, we measured internal consistency through Cronbach's α, confirmed construct validity through an exploratory principal component analysis and assessed test-retest reliability.

RESULTS

232 patients met the inclusion criteria. The Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.40 (95% CI 0.28-0.52). The exploratory principal component analysis showed three components. The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.718 (95% CI 0.564-0.823).

CONCLUSIONS

the Spanish version of the Morisky Medication Adherence scale showed low internal consistency, the exploratory factor analysis identified three dimensions, and the test-retest reliability was acceptable, therefore, psychometric properties of MMAS-8 are not suitable for measuring medication adherence in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients from Spain.