BackgroundRates of medication non-adherence in dialysis patients are high, and improving adherence is likely to improve outcomes. Few data are available regarding factors associated with medication adherence in dialysis patients, and these data are needed to inform effective intervention strategies.Methods/designThis is an observational cross-sectional study of a multi-ethnic dialysis cohort from New Zealand, with the main data collection tool being an interviewer-assisted survey. A total of 100 participants were randomly sampled from a single centre, with selection stratified by ethnicity and dialysis modality (facility versus home). The main outcome measure is self-reported medication adherence using the Morisky 8-Item Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8). Study data include demographic, clinical, social and psychometric characteristics, the latter being constructs of health literacy, medication knowledge, beliefs about medications, and illness perceptions. Psychometric constructs were assessed through the following survey instruments; health literacy screening questions, the Medication Knowledge Evaluation Tool (Okuyan et al.), the Beliefs about Medication Questionnaire (Horne et al.), the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (Broadbent et al.). Using the study data, reliability analysis for internal consistency is satisfactory for the scales evaluating health literacy, medication knowledge, and beliefs about medications, with Chronbach’s α > 0.7 for all. Reliability analysis indicated poor internal consistency for scales relating to illness perceptions. MMAS-8 and all psychometric scores are normally distributed in the study data.DiscussionThis study will provide important information on the factors involved in medication non-adherence in New Zealand dialysis patients. The resulting knowledge will inform long-term initiatives to reduce medication non-adherence in dialysis patients, and help ensure that they are addressing appropriate and evidence based targets for intervention.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12882-015-0097-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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A new interest in the use of game factors while acquiring new knowledge has emerged, and a number of researchers are investigating the effectiveness of the game-based approach in education systems. Recent research in game-based learning suggests that this approach imparts learning by involving learners in the learning process. The game factors generate affective-cognitive reactions that absorb users in playing the game and positively influence the learning. This paper offers a comparison of the learning processes between the gamebased learning and pen-and-paper approaches. In this paper the analysis of both learning approaches is realized through a braincontrolled technology, using the Emotiv EEG Tech headset, by analyzing the stress, excitement, relaxation, focus, interest, and engagement that the learner is experiencing while going through both approaches.