The Satisfaction with Information about Medicines Scale (SIMS): a new measurement tool for audit and research

Objective-To develop and examine the psychometric properties of the Satisfa ction with Information about Medicines Scale (SIMS), a new 17-item tool des igned to assess the extent to which patients feel they have received enough information about prescribed medicines. Methods-Patients from eight diagnostic categories were recruited at hospita ls in London and Brighton and completed the SIMS questionnaire during hospi tal admission or attendance at outpatient clinic appointments. The SIMS was evaluated in terms of its ease of use, internal consistency, test-retest r eliability, and criterion related validity using existing self-report measu res of adherence and patient beliefs about medicines. Results-The SIMS was well accepted by patients in a variety of clinical set tings and showed satisfactory internal consistency and test-retest reliabil ity. As predicted, higher levels of satisfaction with medicines information were associated with higher levels of reported adherence, and lower levels of satisfaction were associated with stronger concerns about the potential adverse effects of medicines, providing evidence of criterion related vali dity. Conclusion-The SIMS performed well on a number of psychometric indicators a nd shows promise as a tool for audit (measuring patients' satisfaction with information about their prescribed medicines), research (evaluating curren t or new forms of information provision), and clinical practice (identifyin g the information needs of individual patients and as an aid to planning me dicine related consultations).