METODOLOJİK BİR ÇALIŞMA: AKILCI İLAÇ KULLANIMI ÖLÇEĞİ’NİN GELİŞTİRİLMESİ

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to develop the Rational Drug Use Scale which can be used to determine the knowledge, attitude and behaviors of patients for rational drug use according to the Theory of Planned Behavior. Methods: The sample of this methodological study consisted of 550 patients who are being admitted to a Family Health Center. In the validity study of the Rational Drug Use Scale; content validity (content validity rate), construct validity (exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis) and criterion validity (Pearson’s correlation analysis) were evaluated. In reliability analysis; internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient) and item analysis were used. Results: The mean age of the patients was 53.00±9.62 years and 66.9% of them were female. It was found that there was consistence between the expert views on the items of scale (90.71%). As a result of the exploratory factor analysis for construct validity, 36-item scale with 6 factors was reached. After confirmatory factor analysis, it was determined that the model was acceptable with data. For criterion validity, equivalence analysis was performed and Morisky 8-item Medication Adherence Scale was used. A significant positive correlation was found between Morisky 8-item Medication Adherence Scale (X=5.57±2.26) and Rational Drug Use Scale (X=51.04 ± 7.39) mean scores. The Rational Drug Use Scale Cronbach's alpha was found 0.85. Conclusion: It was determined that Rational Drug Use Scale was a valid and reliable measurement tool. Accordingly, it may be advisable to use Rational Drug Use Scale to assess patients' knowledge, attitudes and behaviors towards rational drug use.