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.
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Background Medication self-management is complicated for older people. Little is known about older persons’ considerations and decisions concerning medication therapy at home. Objective (s): To explore how older people living at home self-manage their medication and what considerations and decisions underpin their medication self-management behavior. Methods Semi-structured interviews with consenting participants (living at home, aged ≥65, ≥5 different prescription medications daily) were recorded and transcribed with supporting photographs. Content was analyzed with a directed approach and presented according to three phases of medication self-management (initiation, execution, and discontinuation). Results Sixty people were interviewed. In the initiation phase, participants used different techniques to inform healthcare professionals and to fill and check prescriptions. Over-the-counter medication was seldom discussed, and potential interactions were unknown to the participants. Some participants decided to not start treatment after reading the patient information leaflets for fear of side effects. In the execution phase, participants had various methods for integrating the use of new and chronic medication in daily life. Usage problems were discussed with healthcare professionals, but side effects were not discussed, since the participants were not aware that the signs and symptoms of side effects could be medication-related. Furthermore, participants stored medication in various (sometimes incorrect) ways and devised their own systems for ordering and filling repeat prescriptions. In the discontinuation phase, some participants decided to stop or change doses by themselves (because of side effects, therapeutic effects, or a lack of effect). They also mentioned different considerations regarding medication disposal and disposed their medication (in)correctly, stored it for future use, or distributed it to others. Conclusions Participants’ considerations and decisions led to the following: problems in organizing medication intake, inadequate discussion of medication-related information with healthcare professionals, and incorrect and undesirable medication storage and disposal. There is a need for medication self-management observation, monitoring, and assistance by healthcare professionals.
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Purpose: To describe nurses' support interventions for medication adherence, and patients' experiences and desired improvements with this care. Patients and methods: A two-phase study was performed, including an analysis of questionnaire data and conducted interviews with members of the care panel of the Netherlands Patients Federation. The questionnaire assessed 14 types of interventions, satisfaction (score 0-10) with received interventions, needs, experiences, and desired improvements in nurses' support. Interviews further explored experiences and improvements. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a thematic analysis approach. Results: Fifty-nine participants completed the questionnaire, and 14 of the 59 participants were interviewed. The satisfaction score for interventions was 7.9 (IQR 7-9). The most common interventions were: "noticing when I don't take medication as prescribed" (n = 35), "helping me to find solutions to overcome problems with using medications" (n = 32), "helping me with taking medication" (n = 32), and "explaining the importance of taking medication at the right moment" (n = 32). Fifteen participants missed ≥1 of the 14 interventions. Most mentioned the following: "regularly asking about potential problems with medication use" (33%), "regularly discussing whether using medication is going well" (29%), and "explaining the importance of taking medication at the right moment" (27%). Twenty-two participants experienced the following as positive: improved self-management of adequate medication taking, a professional patient-nurse relationship to discuss adherence problems, and nurses' proactive attitude to arrange practical support for medication use. Thirteen patients experienced the following as negative: insufficient timing of home visits, rushed appearance of nurses, and insufficient expertise about side effects and taking medication. Suggested improvements included performing home visits on time, more time for providing support in medication use, and more expertise about side effects and administering medication. Conclusion: Overall, participants were satisfied, and few participants wanted more interventions. Nurses' support improved participants' self-management of medication taking and enabled patients to discuss their adherence problems. Adequately timed home visits, more time for support, and accurate medication-related knowledge are desired.
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