Paraskevopoulos Alexandros, Wettermark Björn, Bouloukaki Izolde, Tsiligianni Ioanna
Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, GRC.
Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Uppsala University, Uppsala, SWE.
Cureus. 2025 Sep 16;17(9):e92451. doi: 10.7759/cureus.92451. eCollection 2025 Sep.
Background Deprescribing is a key strategy to combat polypharmacy and enhance clinical outcomes. However, successful deprescribing interventions are significantly influenced by the patient's attitudes, beliefs, and preferences. The aim of this study was to translate and validate into Greek the revised Patients' Attitudes Towards Deprescribing (rPATD) questionnaire, which assesses the attitudes and beliefs of older adults about deprescribing. Methods The rPATD questionnaire for older adults was translated using forward-backward translation into Greek. To evaluate psychometric properties, older adults aged ≥65 years taking at least five medications were recruited from 15 primary care facilities in Heraklion, Crete, Greece. Construct validity was examined through exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Reliability was assessed through internal consistency, measured by Cronbach's alpha and item-total correlations, as well as test-retest reliability, determined by the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and weighted kappa coefficient. Floor and ceiling effects were examined. Results A total of 255 participants completed the questionnaire. Consistent with the English rPATD, EFA revealed a four-factor structure addressing beliefs about medication appropriateness, perceived medication burden, the level of involvement in medication management, and concerns about stopping medication. Acceptable internal consistency was indicated by Cronbach's alpha values, which ranged from 0.691 to 0.840. Test-retest reliability was satisfactory for all factors, with ICC values ranging from 0.702 to 0.962. A substantial ceiling effect was observed in the involvement factor, while no factor exhibited a significant floor effect. Conclusions The Greek adaptation of the rPATD demonstrated psychometric soundness and provides a valid and reliable tool for evaluating attitudes towards deprescribing among older adults.