A new treatment satisfaction measure for asthmatics: A validation study

The Patient Satisfaction with Asthma Medication (PSAM) questionnaire was de veloped because no treatment satisfaction questionnaire could be identified that was comprehensive yet brief enough for use in clinical trials. Adult moderate asthmatics residing in Canada using an inhaled medication (either salmeterol, formoterol, or albuterol) self-administered the questionnaire, which also included the Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ). A tota l of 53 asthmatics (70% female, 45% married. mean age: 47 years) completed the questionnaire. Using variable clustering, four PSAM scales were identif ied: Inhaler Properties, Comparison with Other Medications, Overall Percept ion of Medication, and Relief. Internal-consistency reliability provided ev idence of reliability and lack of redundancy (Cronbach's Alpha: 0.82-0.88). Test-retest reliability was acceptable (ICC values at or near 0.70). As ex pected, interscale PSAM correlations were moderate to high: correlations be tween the PSAM and the AQLQ were low to moderate. To assess known groups va lidity, respondents were categorized by self-reported degree of asthma cont rol: 'very well controlled', 'somewhat controlled', and not well controlled : Significant between-groups differences were found on all PSAM scales exce pt Inhaler Properties. Patients categorized as 'very well controlled' tende d to report highest PSAM scale scores. The PSAM questionnaire demonstrated reliability and validity in moderate asthmatics. Responsiveness should be a ssessed in future, prospective studies.