In 2010 in collaboration with the state's Chief Psychiatrist, a unique tool, The My Medicines and Me Questionnaire (M3Q), was developed and designed to gain insight into consumers' experiences of side effects of medicines across a wide spectrum of mental health illnesses of differing severities. It was subsequently validated through a rigorous process involving expert stakeholders (including clinicians, consumers and carers), followed by psychometric testing assessing the validity and reliability of the tool. This unique communication tool contains a combination of open and closed questions allowing consumers to rank the most bothersome side effects and to write about the impact they have on their lives.
The M3Q is a simple, cost neutral, valid and reliable self-report questionnaire that has been widely endorsed by consumers and consumer groups and is currently being used in numerous clinical and research settings. We are currently looking to develop an electronic app whereby consumers can complete the questionnaire on their smart phones or tablets and send it to their clinicians prior to their visits.