Abstract

Objective

The aim of this study was to translate the Satisfaction with Information about Medicines Scale (SIMS) into German and test its psychometric properties in a German primary care setting. The SIMS was developed to assess the extent to which patients feel they have received enough information about their medicines.

Methods

Three hundred seventy chronically ill patients were included in the study. The SIMS was translated to SIMS-D (German version) and evaluated in terms of acceptability, internal consistency, test–retest reliability, discriminant, and criterion-related validity.

Results

The SIMS-D showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's α 0.92) and adequate test–retest reliability (Pearson's r > 0.7). Relationships to external criteria regarding medication management were acceptable (Spearman's ρ > 0.4). The SIMS-D was reasonably well accepted (return rate of 71%); however, older people produced more missing values when filling in the questionnaire.

Conclusions

Preliminary evidence was given that the SIMS-D is a suitable instrument for measuring patient satisfaction with information about medicines in German primary care settings.