International Journal of STD & AIDS > Volume 12, Number 2 > Pp. 103-107

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Original Articles

Treatment-related empowerment: preliminary evaluation of a new measure in patients with advanced HIV disease

D. G. Webb, R. Horne and A. J. Pinching

Academic Department of Pharmacy, St Bartholomew's Hospital, West Smithfield, London; Centre for Health Care Research, University of Brighton, Sussex; St Bartholomew's and Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London, UK

This paper presents a novel method for assessing patients' perceptions of empowerment in the context of drug therapy, the Treatment-related Empowerment Scale (TES). The 10-item TES was specifically constructed to address components of communication, treatment choice, decision-making and satisfaction. Evaluation of the scale in a cross-sectional anonymous survey of 43 patients with advanced HIV infection revealed acceptable internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha=0.85) and evidence of both criterion and discriminant validity. Patients who perceived a high degree of treatment-related empowerment were less likely to view doctors as overly reliant on prescribing medicines and reported lower rates of intentional non-compliance. The TES has scope as a concise measure of patients' degree of control over the selection and use of drug therapy, and may be of particular value for current combination therapy regimens.

Key Words: TREATMENT-RELATED EMPOWERMENT • BELIEFS ABOUT MEDICINES • COMPLIANCE • HIV DISEASE

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This article has been cited by other articles:

				H. Kremer, G. Ironson, N. Schneiderman, and M. Hautzinger ``It's My Body'': Does Patient Involvement in Decision Making Reduce Decisional Conflict? Med Decis Making, October 1, 2007; 27(5): 522 - 532. [Abstract] [PDF]