Evidence of validity of the Risk Self-Medication Questionnaire focused on Health Literacy.
Márcio Adriano Fernandes Barreto, Francisca Diana da Silva Negreiros, Virna Ribeiro Feitosa Cestari and 2 others
PMID 39082543WHAT IT FOUND
The final 35-item questionnaire grouped self-medication risk into four areas: third-party influence, altering prescribed therapy, medication literacy, and attitudes/behaviours.
It may help nurses assess medication risk.
Key findings
01After factor analysis, the final questionnaire retained 35 items in four dimensions: influence of third parties, interference in prescribed therapy, medication literacy, and attitudes and behaviours.
02The four-factor questionnaire showed adequate model fit and high reliability across its dimensions.
03Participants reported a median of five days of self-medication in the last three months.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The sample was recruited by convenience from primary care in one Brazilian municipality, so results may not apply to other populations. The questionnaire relies on self-report, and cultural factors may affect how people understand items. Fourteen of the original 49 items were dropped after factor analysis, so the final instrument is shorter and may not capture every intended aspect. People without cognitive capacity to respond were excluded, so it does not address patients who cannot complete the questionnaire. The paper reports psychometric validity evidence, not a trial of patient outcomes.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the questionnaire has been proven to reduce risky self-medication. It was only validated for internal structure and reliability in one primary care sample, so it is an assessment tool, not a tested intervention.