Psychometric Design of a Questionnaire for the Prevention of Induced Demand for Medicine Prescription

Unnecessary demand for healthcare services for patients is a major concern in health economics research, and social science researchers primarily use questionnaires. The present study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the questionnaire of the prevention of induced demand for medicine prescription.

This descriptive study was conducted after designing the primary questionnaire (63 items). The reliability and validity of the questionnaire were assessed by determining the face validity, content validity, construct validity, and reliability.

Initially, no items were eliminated in the qualitative assessment of face validity. To determine the content validity, six items were integrated due to overlapping, and 34 items remained. Principal component analysis revealed a three-factor solution to provide the best fit. Intraclass correlation and Cronbach's alpha for each component of the questionnaire confirmed its reliability.

In order for valid and reliable questionnaires, the views of the target group and experts must be considered and all the psychometric stages should be accomplished. Due to the differences in various studies, a single questionnaire cannot be used in every research.