Establishing the content validity of the Prescription Opioid Misuse and Abuse Questionnaire (POMAQ) among chronic pain patients.

OBJECTIVES

Content validation is essential in the development of patient-reported instruments to ensure relevancy and understandability. The aim was to evaluate patient understanding of the Prescription Opioid Misuse and Abuse Questionnaire (POMAQ) using cognitive interviewing among adults with chronic moderate to severe pain.

METHODS

This qualitative study involved a one-time in-clinic visit to conduct one-on-one cognitive interviews among participants with chronic moderate to severe pain from four groups: (1) Known Opioid Abuse; (2) Known Abuse of Other Substances (e.g. alcohol, benzodiazepines); (3) Opioid Non-abuse; and (4) No Chronic Opioid Use. Patients were recruited from 6 US clinical centers. Concept elicitation questions regarding misuse and abuse were asked at interview start; the POMAQ was completed via a web interface followed by a cognitive interview regarding POMAQ items and response options.

RESULTS

56 patients were enrolled. Mean age was 48.7 ± 12.3 years; 57% female; 80% Caucasian; mean duration of chronic pain was 11.2 ± 8.2 years with lower back pain predominating at 75%. Overall, the POMAQ was well-understood and received positive feedback. A few (n = 6, 11%) expressed concerns about completing the POMAQ using a secure internet site as they either indicated they were not computer savvy (n = 3, 5%) or were concerned about internet security (n = 3, 5%). Minor wording modifications were made to the POMAQ to enhance clarity and understanding of the POMAQ.

CONCLUSIONS

The POMAQ demonstrated content validity among patients with moderate to severe chronic pain and is undergoing psychometric evaluation among a larger cohort of patients.