Evaluation of a knowledge questionnaire about cardiovascular disease in Spanish community pharmacies

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to develop and evaluate an instrument to measure knowledge about cardiovascular disease risk (CVDR) for patients taking cardiovascular medications in a community pharmacies in Spain. Method: Relevant evidence, patient education materials, and guidelines were reviewed to develop a pool of questions pertaining to CVDR factors. For content validity, face validity, readability, and clarity, the questionnaire was reviewed by an interdisciplinary group of experts. Psychometric properties were assessed based on a cross-sectional study of patients taking cardiovascular medications in six community pharmacies in Spain. For reliability purposes, an exploratory factor analysis and internal consistency were used. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach's coefficient alpha. Results: A total of 257 patients (35.8% men; mean [SD] age, 60.9 [10.8] years) were included in the evaluation of this instrument. The mean (SD) knowledge score, 5.8 (1.8) (95% confidence interval: 5.6-6.1), and the index of difficulty for different questions were between 32.3% and 87.2%, mean of 58.1%. An exploratory factor analysis identified 3 factors that explained 87.8% of the total variance, and the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.88. Conclusion: A questionnaire to measure knowledge about cardiovascular disease and/or risk factors for patients taking cardiovascular medications in a community pharmacy setting in Spain was developed and evaluated. The Cardiovascular Knowledge Questionnaire (CVKQ) could be sensitive to educational programs; however, the validity and reliability of studies conducted and reported are preliminary. Future research employing the CVKQ is necessary in order to completely assess the validity and reliability.