Cultural Adaptation and Linguistic Validation of the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire in Malaysia

• Published in: Value in Health Regional Issues
• Main Author: Tan C.S.; Hassali M.A.; Neoh C.F.; Saleem F.; Horne R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc. 2018
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85046707214&doi=10.1016%2fj.vhri.2017.12.010&partnerID=40&md5=b4c7d43f3bc308a4d00e394c7613b957

Background: Low rate of adherence was found strongly associated with patients’ beliefs across the studies about chronic diseases with hypertension. A crucial move is needed to bridge the gap between appropriate assessment tools and local hypertensive patients’ medication adherence. Objective: To produce a translated version in Malay language of Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ) that was “conceptually equivalent” to the original English version for use in local clinical practice and research. Methods: The forward translation process was conducted by two independent professional translators and back translation was done by two other independent translators. A reliability analysis was conducted on 238 conveniently selected hypertensive patients. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to assess test-retest reliability for the randomly selected 40 patients in a period of 2 weeks. Discriminant validity was tested through Necessity-Concerns differential, BMQ subscales, and other parameters. Results: The overall Cronbach alpha for the internal consistency was good (0.860). The subscales of the BMQ demonstrated adequate internal consistency, with Cronbach alpha value of 0.759 for Specific-Necessity, 0.762 for Specific Concern, 0.624 for General-Overuse, and 0.756 for General-Harm. The ICC was excellent (0.922). Discriminant validity revealed that BMQ Specific-Necessity score was significantly inversely correlated with the systolic blood pressure level. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels (P = 0.038; P = 0.05) were reported to be significantly correlated with the Necessity-Concerns differential, with Necessity score equal or exceeding Concerns score. Conclusions: The Malay-translated version of BMQ is a reliable and valid tool to assess patient belief about medication, especially medication adherence among the hypertensive patients in Malaysia. © 2018