Abstract
Background There is a large amount of research into and promotion of rational prescribing, but there is a comparative lack of investigation into deprescribing. The success of deprescribing is likely to be dependent on both medical and patient factors. Objective The aim of this study was to develop and validate a tool to capture the views and beliefs of patients regarding cessation of medications. Setting Participants were recruited from a multidisciplinary clinic at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre. Methods The patients’ attitudes towards deprescribing (PATD) questionnaire was developed through expert opinion and piloting. Psychometric testing included face, content and criterion validity, sensitivity and test–retest reliability. Results A final 15 item questionnaire was produced. Through piloting, expert review and gamma rank correlation with the previously validated beliefs about medicines questionnaire, the PATD was determined to be valid. Test-retesting resulted in a total concordance of 71.3 % (95 % confidence interval, 64.1–78.5 %). Conclusion The PATD has acceptable psychometric properties and has potential for future use in research and practice to not only determine patients’ willingness towards deprescribing, but also uncover what beliefs may influence this.
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Acknowledgments
We would like to thank the staff of the Multidisciplinary Ambulatory Consulting Service at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and the pharmacists at the Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre for their assistance with this study. We acknowledge the contribution made by the members of the RAH Pharmacology Department Journal Club for their insights in the development of the PATD. And finally we would like to thank all of the participants, especially those in the piloting phase who provided us with invaluable feedback.
Funding
Ms Emily Reeve’s PhD candidacy (of which this research was conducted within) is funded by an Australian Postgraduate Award (APA).
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Full copies of the PATD Questionnaire are available from http://www.unisa.edu.au/Research/Sansom-Institute-for-Health-Research/Research-at-the-Sansom/Research-Concentrations/Therapeutics-and-Pharmaceutical-Science/#projects or from the corresponding author.
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Reeve, E., Shakib, S., Hendrix, I. et al. Development and validation of the patients’ attitudes towards deprescribing (PATD) questionnaire. Int J Clin Pharm 35, 51–56 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11096-012-9704-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11096-012-9704-5