Implementation intention in adherence to oral antidiabetic medications: intervention strategy validity

Abstract Objective To develop and validate a brief intervention strategy based on the concept of implementation intention to promote adherence to oral antidiabetics in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus being monitored in primary care. Method This is a methodological study carried out in a primary health unit in Carmo do Cajuru, Minas Gerais, Brazil, from May 2022 to April 2023. The stages taken involved intervention construction based on the concept of implementation intention, with validity of its content by seven experts and assessment of its comprehensibility by 11 people with type 2 diabetes mellitus. An expert committee assessed the intervention’s relevance, comprehensibility and comprehensiveness, and the target audience exclusively assessed their comprehensibility through a cognitive interview. Agreement among experts was assessed by the item and total Content Validity Index (CVI), with item and total CVI being considered satisfactory ≥ 0.85. Results The intervention strategy was called “Plan for coping with difficulties in taking oral antidiabetics”, and its final validated version was composed of a set of initial instructions, a topic on intended behavior, a column with 13 possible difficulties and a column with 16 possible solutions to the difficulties listed. A total CVI of 0.99 was obtained, and the intervention strategy was understood by the target audience. Conclusion The brief intervention strategy obtained evidence of content validity. This technology can support and motivate healthcare professionals’ practice, especially nurses, to improve their approach to users with type 2 diabetes mellitus in relation to adherence to oral antidiabetic medications.