Construct validity and reproducibility of the Prescription Opioid Misuse And Abuse Questionnaire (POMAQ)

Abstract

Objective

The Prescription Opioid Misuse and Abuse Questionnaire was developed to identify prescription opioid abuse and misuse among patients with chronic pain, however, evidence of construct validity and reproducibility is needed.

Methods

Chronic pain patients were recruited from five Department of Defense Military Health System clinics across the United States. Construct validity was examined using subjective clinician-reported and patient-reported measures as well as objective information (e.g. hair/urine drug screens and electronic medical records). Test-retest reliability was assessed across 2 timepoints among a subgroup of patients with stable chronic pain.

Results

Of 3,263 screened patients, 938 (28.7%) met eligibility and were enrolled; 809 (86.2%) completed the Prescription Opioid Misuse and Abuse Questionnaire. Construct validity was supported by comparison to other validated questionnaires and hair and urine screens which yielded high agreements with patient reports on the Prescription Opioid Misuse and Abuse Questionnaire. Electronic medical record data supported patients’ Prescription Opioid Misuse and Abuse Questionnaire responses regarding physician and emergency room visits and opioid refills. The Prescription Opioid Misuse and Abuse Questionnaire had excellent test–retest reliability; the percentage agreement between the two Prescription Opioid Misuse and Abuse Questionnaire administrations was high (>90%) for most questions.

Discussion

Results suggest that the Prescription Opioid Misuse and Abuse Questionnaire is a valid and reproducible tool that can be used to assess the presence of prescription opioid misuse and abuse among patients with chronic pain.

Keywords:

• Construct validity
• Reproducibility
• Prescription Opioid Misuse and Abuse Questionnaire (POMAQ)
• patient reported outcome

Transparency

Declaration of funding

This project was conducted as part of a FDA-required post-marketing study for extended-release and long-acting opioid analgesics and was funded by the Opioid Postmarketing Consortium (OPC) consisting of the following companies: Allergan; Assertio Therapeutics, Inc.; BioDelivery Sciences, Inc.; Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.; Daiichi Sankyo, Inc.; Endo Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.; Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Mallinckrodt Inc.; Pernix Therapeutics Holdings, Inc.; Pfizer, Inc.; Purdue Pharma, LP.

Declaration of financial/other relationships

Research data derived from approved Naval Medical Research Unit-Dayton, Dayton, Ohio and Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, Virginia IRB, protocol; number NAMRUD.2015.0004. The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Navy, Department of Defense, or the United States Government. At the time of this work, CAPT AA Bukhari was a member of the U.S. Military. This work was prepared as part of his official duties. Title 17U.S.C. 105 provides that “Copyright protection under this title is not available for any work of the United States Government.” Title 17U.S.C. 101 defines a United States Government work as a work prepared by a military service member or employee of the United States Government as part of that person's official duties.

K. S. Coyne and B. M. Currie are employees of Evidera, a company that received funding from the OPC to conduct this study. At the time of the study, A. I. Barsdorf was employed by Pfizer, a member company of the OPC. At the time of the study, J. Y. Mazière was an employee of PPD, a parent company to Evidera and is now an employee of Astellas. R.F. Pierson is an employee of Janssen, a member company of the OPC. S. H. Schnoll is an employee of Pinney Associates, a company that received funding from the OPC for time spent consulting on this study. S. F. Butler received funding from the OPC for time spent consulting on this study. J. T. Farrar is an employee of the University of Pennsylvania and received funding from the OPC for time spent consulting on this study to support his salary. H. J. Fisher is an employee of Health ResearchTx, a company that received funding from the OPC to conduct this study. CAPT A.A. Bukhari, USAF has no financial disclosures to report. All aspects of the study design, interpretation, and decision to submit for publication were determined by the authors.

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Kawthar Nakayima, Amara Tiebout, and Michael Grossi for their production and editorial assistance. The authors would also like to thank Kim Poinsett-Holmes, PharmD (Evidera, Morrisville, NC), Mahesh Paschapur (Evidera, New Delhi, India), and Amara Tiebout (Evidera, Bethesda, MD) for medical writing/editorial assistance.