Reliability and validity of the Turkish form of the eight-item Morisky medication adherence scale in hypertensive patients

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the 8-item Morisky medication adherence scale. Methods: The study was conducted as a methodological design. The study included 196 patients with hypertension who applied to the Family Health Centers in three different regions of Turkey. Data were collected from February-June 2012. Methods used in the analysis included factor analysis, assessment of Cronbach's alpha test and item-total correlation in order to perform psychometric measurements. Variables influencing scores of medication adherence were determined using logistic regression analysis. Results: Factor loadings of all items in the scale were above 0.40, and the variation explained was determined to be 42.4. The Turkish form consisted of a single domain. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the items in the scale was 0.79. Item-total correlations of items in the scale were between 0. 30 and 0. 62. Scores of medication adherence were observed to be affected by low economic condition and city where said individuals reside. Conclusion: It was determined that levels of reliability and validity of Turkish version of 8-item Morisky medication adherence scale is acceptable.