BackgroundThe 14-item Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication (TSQM) Version 1.4 is a reliable and valid instrument to assess patients' satisfaction with medication, providing scores on four scales – side effects, effectiveness, convenience and global satisfaction. In naturalistic studies, administering the TSQM with the side effects domain could provoke the physician to assess the presence or absence of adverse events in a way that is clinically atypical, carrying the potential to interfere with routine medical care. As a result, an abbreviated 9-item TSQM (TSQM-9), derived from the TSQM Version 1.4 but without the five items of the side effects domain was created. In this study, an interactive voice response system (IVRS)-administered TSQM-9 was psychometrically evaluated among patients taking antihypertensive medication.MethodsA total of 3,387 subjects were invited to participate in the study from an online panel who self-reported taking a prescribed antihypertensive medication. The subjects were asked to complete the IVRS-administered TSQM-9 at the start of the study, along with the modified Morisky scale, and again within 7 to 14 days. Standard psychometric analyses were conducted; including Cronbach's alpha, intraclass correlation coefficients, structural equation modeling, Spearman correlation coefficients and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).ResultsA total of 396 subjects completed all the study procedures. Approximately 50% subjects were male with a good racial/ethnic mix: 58.3% white, 18.9% black, 17.7% Hispanic and 5.1% either Asian or other. There was evidence of construct validity of the TSQM-9 based on the structural equation modeling findings of the observed data fitting the Decisional Balance Model of Treatment Satisfaction even without the side effects domain. TSQM-9 domains had high internal consistency as evident from Cronbach's alpha values of 0.84 and greater. TSQM-9 domains also demonstrated good test-retest reliability with high intraclass correlation coefficients exceeding 0.70. As expected, the TSQM-9 domains were able to differentiate between individuals who were low, medium and high compliers of medication, with moderate to high effect sizes. There was evidence of convergent validity with significant correlations with the medication adherence scale.ConclusionThe IVRS-administered TSQM-9 was found to be a reliable and valid measure to assess treatment satisfaction in naturalistic study designs, in which there is potential that the administration of the side effects domain of the TSQM would interfere with routine clinical care.

PurposeNovel multiple myeloma (MM) therapies have increased patient longevity but are often associated with notable symptom burden. This study quantified the effect of general symptom level, specific symptoms, and treatment-related adverse events (AEs) on MM patients’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL).MethodsThe European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) generic cancer questionnaire (Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30) and MM-specific questionnaire (QLQ-MY20) were used in this study to assess patients’ HRQoL. Data were collected on sociodemographics, disease and treatment history, and the presence/severity of MM-related symptoms or treatment-related AEs from patients with MM in 11 UK and German centers. Multiple regression analyses were conducted.ResultsOf 154 patients (63 % male; mean age, 66.4 years; mean time since diagnosis, 3.7 years; 52 % currently on treatment; and 43 % with ≥1 prior MM therapy), 25, 32, 31, and 11 % were severely symptomatic, moderately symptomatic, mildly symptomatic, and asymptomatic, respectively. Fatigue (59 %), bone pain (51 %), sleepiness (36 %), hypoesthesia or paresthesia (33 %), and muscle cramps (31 %) were most commonly reported. Moderate and severe general symptom levels, bone symptoms, depression, and mental status changes were identified as strong determinants of HRQoL.ConclusionsSeverity, type of disease symptoms, and treatment-related AEs are important HRQoL determinants in patients with MM, allowing for targeted treatment.

OIC among noncancer pain patients is a persistent and significant condition with varying utilization and response to laxatives thus increasing the ongoing burden of chronic pain. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

This is the first large international cohort of persons with chronic and episodic migraine studied using a web-based approach, a methodology well suited to the study of the burden of migraines.

Infused ICT may not provide adequate effectiveness in the real world. High ferritin levels seem to be associated with ICT noncompliance, likely in relation to the bothersome mode of administration and side effects. The total cost of ICT appears to well exceed that of drug alone.