Evidence for the reliability and validity of a Spanish translation of the Medication Management Ability Assessment administered via tele-assessment

Abstract

We translated the Medication Management Ability Assessment (MMAA) from English to Spanish for use via tele-assessment and examined its reliability and validity. Following International Test Commission Guidelines for Translating and Adapting Tests, we used translation/back-translation and a small focus group (n = 6) to adapt a Spanish version of the MMAA. Eighty-six Spanish-speaking adults completed the adapted MMAA via tele-assessment at baseline and at a two-week follow-up visit. Participants also completed several self-report and performance-based cognitive and functional measures. The internal consistency of the MMAA was excellent (standardized Cronbach’s α = 0.90). Performance-based functional assessments (PBFAs) and objective cognition were positively associated with the MMAA at small to medium effect sizes. Self-report measures of daily function and cognition, measures of health literacy, and estimates of premorbid intellectual functioning were not significantly associated with MMAA performance. The test-retest reliability of the MMAA was good (CCC = 0.73, 95% CI [0.62, 0.81]; r_s = 0.37, p < 0.001) and demonstrated a small practice effect (Cohen's d = 0.36, p = 0.001). Preliminary evidence for the construct validity of a Spanish-language MMAA administered via tele-assessment further expands the potential clinical utility of PBFAs in culturally diverse, Spanish-speaking populations.

Keywords:

• Aging
• cognition
• culture
• performance-based functional assessments
• psychometrics

Acknowledgments

We thank the participants who made this research possible. Agradecemos a los participantes que han hecho posible esta investigación.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author [LDM], upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Psi Chi International Honor Society Mamie Phipps Clark Diversity Research Grant [000179925], the Association for Psychological Science Student Grant Competition, and the Alzheimer’s Association [2019-AARGD-642445]. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Psi Chi International Honor Society, the Association for Psychological Science, or the Alzheimer’s Association.