RELIABILITY OF THE MATSON EVALUATION OF DRUG SIDE-EFFECTS SCALE (MEDS)

The potential negative effects of psychoactive medication are well doc umented. Given the high rare of their use in persons with mental retar dation, the need to assess and identify these negative effects is grea t. The Matson Evaluation of Drug Side Effects (MEDS) was designed to e valuate commonly identified side effects with a psychometrically sound checklist. The initial psychometric properties of this scale are pres ented and discussed. An examination of interrater reliability and inte rnal consistency revealed that the MEDS has excellent consistency acro ss raters and good internal consistency. Potential uses far the scale and directions for future research are reviewed as well. (C) 1998 Else vier Science Ltd.