Turkish adaptation, validity and reliability study of treatment burden questionnaire in geriatric patients

Introduction: This study aimed to adapt the Turkish Treatment Burden Questionnaire, test its validity and reliability, and predict the treatment burden in the geriatric population. Materials and Method: This methodological study included individuals aged 65 years and older from the geriatric population attending routine outpatient clinic examinations at the Ankara Bilkent City Hospital Geriatrics Department between June 1, 2022, and June 1, 2023. The sample consisted of 150 geriatric individuals who spoke and understood Turkish, could managed their illness, had no disease complications, were communicative, and did not have any physical or mental illnesses that would hinder their participation. The study data were collected using the ‘Individual Information Form’ and the Turkish version of the ‘Treatment Burden Questionnaire.’ Descriptive and confirmatory factor analysis were performed, and Cronbach’s α coefficient was calculated for the Turkish version of the scale. Results: Analyzing the factor structure of the Treatment Burden Questionnaire, a three-factor, 11-item structure with an eigenvalue above 1 explained 53.227% of the variance. In the assessment of the internal consistency of the scale, four items were eliminated because of low item-total correlations and inter-item correlations. The reliability analysis for the 11-item Treatment Burden Scale yielded a Cronbach’s α coefficient of 0.645. Conclusion: The Turkish adaptation of the Treatment Burden Questionnaire demonstrated validity and reliability in for assessing the extent of treatment burden in the geriatric population.