Phase three: Pilot testing
The final version of AAMQ was pilot-tested by participants with asthma. These participants were patients with asthma who were recruited through a face-to-face approach while they were waiting to see their respiratory specialist in two public hospitals. A standardized introductory script was followed in approaching all potential participants; the script involved informing the patients about the main objectives of the study. Those consenting to participate were then asked to complete the AAMQ. Their comments and suggestions were considered by the research team and were reflected in the questionnaire. Certain information about the questionnaire was also collected such as the time needed to complete the questionnaire and if the participants needed any explanations to understand the items.
To assist the analysis of AAMQ scores, the scores were arbitrarily divided by the research team into three categories based on the decision made by the Delphi expert panel indicating: poor, moderate, and excellent adherence.