Development and validation of vikrti measuring scale – A pilot study

Objective: This is a preliminary report on the development of a scale to measure the pathology of tridoshas in a group of diseases by using the concepts of Āyurveda. Design: The 97-item tridosha diagnosis scale (TDS) was developed based on the translation of Sanskrit verses describing vātaja (V), pittaja (P), and kaphaja (K) vikrti-vriddhi-kshaya and by taking the opinions of experts (fifteen Āyurveda experts, five psychiatrists, and five psychologists). Settings: Arogyadhama holistic health hospital, VYASA, Bangalore, India. Subjects: Thirty-five samples with a history of Diabetes, Back pain, Knee pain, Acidity, and cancer were included in the study. The patients with chronic illness and Cardiac diseases were excluded. Results: The TDS was associated with excellent internal consistency. The Cronbach's alpha for V, P, and K vriddhi and kshaya scales were 0.939,0.945,0.853, 0.867,0.942,0.785 respectively. The Split-Half reliability for V, P, and K vriddhi, kshaya scales were 0.927, 0.962, 0.883, 0.848, 0.960, 0.688, respectively. Scores on vātaja, pittaja, and kaphaja scales were inversely correlated, suggesting that they are mutually exclusive. The three subgroups of back pain, acidity, diabetes had significantly high loadings on the vata vriddhi, pitta vriddhi, kapha vriddhi, respectively. While five cancer patients had significantly high loadings on vataja and kaphaja vriddhi, respectively. Factor analysis revealed that 70 items had good construct validity. Conclusion: The TDS is a reliable and valid instrument. The scores on each of these doshas help in planning intervention.