Objective: To evaluate the psychometric properties of a newly developed Medication Literacy Assessment in Spanish and English (MedLitR xSE).
Design: Descriptive, nonexperimental, cross-sectional study.
Setting: El Paso, TX, from December 2006 to June 2009.
Participants: 181 English- or Spanish speaking adults.
Intervention: Survey administered in two phases.
Main outcome measures: Descriptive statistics, internal consistency, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and fit indices, and criterion-related validity.
Results: The 20-item MedLitR xSE tool showed adequate internal consistency and reliability, and CFA revealed overall good model fit. In phase 2, the shorter 14-item MedLitR xSE showed good total test reliability and correlated well with the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults. Item response theory analyses showed no language bias and a one-dimensional (i.e., one factor) model of medication literacy.
Conclusion: The initial and latest shorter version of the MedLitR xSE tool demonstrated good psychometric properties. This tool may provide a new option to assess "medication literacy" in English and Spanish.