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Effects of a transitional care programme on medication adherence in an older cardiac population

AimsMedication non-adherence post-discharge is common among patients, especially those suffering from chronic medical conditions, and contributes to hospital admissions and mortality. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the Cardiac Care Bridge (CCB) intervention on medication adherence post-discharge.MethodsWe performed a secondary analysis of the CCB randomized single-blind trial, a study in patients ≥70 years, at high risk of functional loss and admitted to cardiology departments in six hospitals. In this multi-component intervention study, community nurses performed medication reconciliation and observed medication-related problems (MRPs) during post-discharge home visits, and pharmacists provided recommendations to resolve MRPs. Adherence to high-risk medications was measured using the proportion of days covered (PDC), using pharmacy refill data. Furthermore, MRPs were assessed in the intervention group.ResultsFor 198 (64.7%) of 306 CCB patients, data were available on adherence (mean age: 82 years; 58.9% of patients used a multidose drug dispensing [MDD] system). The mean PDC before admission was 92.3% in the intervention group (n = 99) and 88.5% in the control group (n = 99), decreasing to 85.2% and 84.1% post-discharge, respectively (unadjusted difference: −2.6% (95% CI −9.8 to 4.6, P = .473); adjusted difference −3.3 (95% CI −10.3 to 3.7, P = .353)). Post-hoc analysis indicated that a modest beneficial intervention effect may be restricted to MDD non-users (P interaction = .085). In total, 77.0% of the patients had at least one MRP post-discharge.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that a multi-component intervention, including several components targeting medication adherence in older cardiac patients discharged from hospital back home, did not benefit their medication adherence levels. A modest positive effect on adherence may potentially exist in those patients not using an MDD system. This finding needs replication.

Motivational interviewing on medication adherence: a mixed methods study of active ingredients and patient-therapist interaction in patients with schizophrenia

Results: We observed a variation of factors which seemed to contribute to the active ingredients. Most prevalent was (eliciting) ‘change talk’, but also factors such as ‘experiencing competency’ and ‘changing sense making’. Since mechanisms of change refer to psychological processes within the patient’s mind, it is impossible to observe these. But we recognised clues for mechanisms of change, the most prevalent mechanism was ‘arguing oneself into change’. The most important conversational techniques are reflections and questions addressing medication adherent behaviour or intentions, which was often (in 74% and 69% of the time respectively) followed by change talk. Conclusions: Active ingredients of MI seem to consist of a sufficient combination of factors, to which both patient and therapist contribute. This combination may act as an active ingredient and can trigger mechanisms of change. Our study suggests that in particular the patient factors are a pool of factors from which, after proper activation by therapist factors, different combinations can form active ingredients.

Active Ingredients and Mechanisms of Change in Motivational Interviewing for Medication Adherence

Artikel proefschrift Jos Dobber verschenen in Frontiers in Psychiatry 24 maart 2020: Background: Trials studying Motivational Interviewing (MI) to improve medication adherence in patients with schizophrenia showed mixed results. Moreover, it is unknown which active MI-ingredients are associated with mechanisms of change in patients with schizophrenia. To enhance the effect of MI for patients with schizophrenia, we studied MI's active ingredients and its working mechanisms. Methods: First, based on MI literature, we developed a model of potential active ingredients and mechanisms of change of MI in patients with schizophrenia. We used this model in a qualitative multiple case study to analyze the application of the active ingredients and the occurrence of mechanisms of change. We studied the cases of fourteen patients with schizophrenia who participated in a study on the effect of MI on medication adherence. Second, we used the Generalized Sequential Querier (GSEQ 5.1) to perform a sequential analysis of the MI-conversations aiming to assess the transitional probabilities between therapist use of MI-techniques and subsequent patient reactions in terms of change talk and sustain talk. Results: We found the therapist factor “a trusting relationship and empathy” important to enable sufficient depth in the conversation to allow for the opportunity of triggering mechanisms of change. The most important conversational techniques we observed that shape the hypothesized active ingredients are reflections and questions addressing medication adherent behavior or intentions, which approximately 70% of the time was followed by “patient change talk”. Surprisingly, sequential MI-consistent therapist behavior like “affirmation” and “emphasizing control” was only about 6% of the time followed by patient change talk. If the active ingredients were embedded in more comprehensive MI-strategies they had more impact on the mechanisms of change. Conclusions: Mechanisms of change mostly occurred after an interaction of active ingredients contributed by both therapist and patient. Our model of active ingredients and mechanisms of change enabled us to see “MI at work” in the MI-sessions under study, and this model may help practitioners to shape their MI-strategies to a potentially more effective MI.

Medication adherence in patients with schizophrenia

Medication-related health literacy in patients on hemodialysis assessed with the RALPH interview guide

This planned sub-study was part of a prospective intervention study in patients on hemodialysis with a high serum phosphate concentration and high PBM pill burden. Functional, communicative, and critical medication-related HL were assessed using the Recognizing and Addressing Limited Pharmaceutical Literacy interview guide, and self-reported PBM adherence was evaluated using the MARS-5 (Medication Adherence Report Scale-5) questionnaire. Primary outcome was the proportion of patients who perceived difficulties in ≥ 1 HL domain, secondary outcome was the prevalence of perceived difficulties within the HL domains. Exploratory outcome was the association between medication-related HL and self-reported adherence to PBM. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and univariable and multivariable logistic regression. Covariates for logistic regression were age, gender, number of medications, and PBM and total pill burden.

Towards tailored medication self-management

Europe’s aging population is leading to a growing number of people affected by chronic disease, which will continue over the coming decades. Healthcare systems are under pressure to deliver appropriate care, partly due to the burden imposed on their limited financial and human resources by the growing number of people with (multiple) chronic diseases. Therefore, there is a strong call for patient self-management to meet these patients’ healthcare needs. While many patients experience medication self-management as difficult, it poses additional challenges for people with limited health literacy. This thesis aims to explore the needs of patients with a chronic disease and limited health literacy regarding medication self-management and how support for medication self-management can be tailored to those needs.