PURPOSE

The objective of this study was to identify dimensions and items for a future questionnaire aimed at measuring medication nonadherence in people with ischemic heart disease, considering gender differences and incorporating the views of healthcare professionals, researchers, and patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We conducted a mixed-method cross-sectional study at San Juan de Alicante University Hospital and Miguel Hernández University (Spain). The methods used to identify dimensions included a consensus group of healthcare and scientific professionals, an open-response survey for community pharmacists, a closed-response patient survey, and patient focus groups. When drafting the item list, we followed international recommendations related to the number and wording of items. Our study also included a qualitative review of the item list and response scales by psychologists.

RESULTS

The resulting item list includes 41 potential items grouped into 26 dimensions and five domains: "patient", "treatment", "disease", "health professional-patient relationship" and "healthcare system". It covers aspects such as personal beliefs, mood, polypharmacy, disease symptoms, patient-healthcare professional interaction and healthcare system factors. Response options are presented on a 5-point Likert scale, including agreement-level responses and frequency-level responses.

CONCLUSION

With the collaboration of patients, researchers, and healthcare providers, we potentially identified five domains, 26 dimensions, and 41 items with 5-point Likert scale response options. These will be considered in the subsequent development and validation of a questionnaire to measure medication adherence in patients with ischemic heart disease.