Beliefs about medicines and adherence in women with breast cancer on adjuvant endocrine therapy

The Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ) and Adherence Starts with Knowledge (ASK-12) questionnaire were originally developed and validated in Western populations to assess beliefs and barriers to medication adherence. The study aim is to validate the BMQ and ASK-12 questionnaire for use in a Singapore population with early stage breast cancer. English-speaking women on adjuvant endocrine therapy (n = 157) were recruited. The BMQ-Specific showed good internal consistency with structural validity. The internal consistency of BMQ-General and ASK-12 Behaviour scale improved with the new factor structure obtained from exploratory factor analysis. Further studies are needed to confirm these factor structures.

Automated summary

The study validated the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ) and Adherence Starts with Knowledge (ASK-12) questionnaire for use in a Singapore population with early stage breast cancer. The new factor structure obtained from exploratory factor analysis improved the internal consistency of BMQ-General and ASK-12 Behaviour scale. Further studies are required to confirm these factor structures.