Reliability of the Dutch Version of the Matson Evaluation of Drug Side Effects in People With Intellectual Disabilities.
The Dutch MEDS reliably spots psychotropic side effects in adults with ID—add it to your medication reviews.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Dieudonnéen et al. (2025) translated the Matson Evaluation of Drug Side Effects into Dutch. They then checked if two raters agreed when they scored the same adults with intellectual disability. The team looked at both intrarater reliability (same rater, different days) and interrater reliability (two raters, same day).
What they found
The Dutch MEDS showed moderate-to-excellent agreement. Raters gave similar scores when they rated the same person twice. They also agreed when two different people scored the same client. This means the tool is reliable for spotting side effects from psychotropic meds.
How this fits with other research
Matson et al. (2013) reviewed all earlier MEDS work and called it the most studied side-effect tool for people with ID. Dieudonnéen extends that line by proving the Dutch version works just as well. English et al. (1995) and Oliver et al. (2002) did similar Dutch and Swedish validations of the Reiss Screen. They also found good total-score reliability but weaker item-level agreement. The pattern is the same: translated screeners are trustworthy for overall decisions, yet you should double-check single items before changing treatment.
Why it matters
If you support Dutch-speaking adults with ID, you now have a solid checklist to flag medication problems. Use the Dutch MEDS during care reviews. Share the results with prescribers so they can adjust doses or switch drugs early. The tool is free, quick, and keeps side effects from being missed.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: People with intellectual disabilities often use psychotropic medications. Recognising side effects in this population can be challenging while they can negatively impact the quality of life. An accurate screening instrument is crucial to identify side effects of psychotropic medication in people with intellectual disabilities. For this purpose, the Matson Evaluation of Drug Side Effects (MEDS) is the most reliable and well-researched instrument. We translated the MEDS into Dutch, considering that the Dutch version of the MEDS must be accurate and aligned with its intended meaning, avoiding multiple interpretations; this study aimed to assess its intrarater and interrater reliabilities in people with intellectual disabilities using psychotropic medication. METHODS: A certified medical translation agency performed translation and back-translation of the MEDS. Two researchers administered the MEDS three times on the same day. Participants were people with intellectual disabilities using psychotropic medication. Demographic and medical data were collected via questionnaires. Scoring and calculation of total domain scores, severity domain scores, duration domain scores and composite scale scores followed the MEDS manual. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and 95% confidence intervals of these scores were used to assess intrarater and interrater reliabilities. RESULTS: The study sample included 40 adults with intellectual disabilities. Intrarater reliability was good to excellent for total domain scores (ICCs ranging from 0.873 to 1.000) and excellent for the total composite scale score (ICC = 0.945). Interrater reliability was moderate to excellent for total domain scores (ICCs ranging from 0.713 to 0.922) and good for the total composite scale score (ICC = 0.894). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated moderate to excellent intrarater and interrater reliabilities for the Dutch version of the MEDS. This confirms its potential as a valuable instrument for clinicians to identify and monitor side effects in people with intellectual disabilities using psychotropic medication. We recommend the use of the Dutch version of the MEDS in both Dutch clinical practice and research for this purpose.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2025 · doi:10.1111/jir.13256