Tuberculosis chemoprophylaxis: Measuring adherence to the regimen

Autor: H. I. Cohen, J. P. Dubanoski
Rok vydání: 1998
Předmět:
Zdroj: Psychology, Health & Medicine. 3:181-192
ISSN: 1465-3966
1354-8506
DOI: 10.1080/13548509808402234
Popis: The Adherence Index is a composite measure of patient adherence to preventive treatment for tuberculosis infection that was evaluated for psychometric adequacy across four language/cultural groups. Participants were: 175 English-speaking, Philippines-born; 194 English-speaking, US-born; 76 Tagalog-speaking, Philippines-born; and 79 Korean-speaking, Korean-born patients, who were receiving a six-month course of treatment with Isoniazid. The Adherence Index was composed of pill-count plus set-report, appointment-keeping, and a urine test for INH metabolites weighted by months in treatment. Content validity was supported through the application of cross-cultural research techniques and preliminary construct validity was supported by expected relations with demographic variables. Coefficient alphas for the Adherence Index ranged from 0.88 to 0.94 across groups. The Adherence Index, a continuous variable, would be more useful in behavioural research on predictors of adherence than the dichotomous adherence/nonadherence measures often reported in the literature. The distributions of the Index by group reflected greater numbers among the English-speaking patients who defaulted early in treatment when compared to Tagalog- and Korean-speaking patients, suggesting the need for immediate identification of adherence problems followed by culturally-relevant intervention to prevent drop-out. Recommendations for future development and use of the Adherence Index are offered.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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