Beliefs about medicines among Hong Kong hospital outpatients†

Abstract

Our results identified the demographic characteristics of patients with negative or hesitant belief attitudes about medicines. In order to effectively achieve improvement in long-term beliefs about medications, the design of interventions should target positively modifying belief attitudes in these two patient groups. Furthermore, addressing patients' concern about their medicines was reaffirmed to be an important criterion for researchers to focus on when designing effective interventions in the future.

Self-rated health and medicine beliefs among older hospital outpatients in Hong Kong

“…As approximately 70% of all participants were in the high NCD group (Table ), this implies that most patients considered that their medications were necessary and less likely to be causing concern. Furthermore, participants with increasing age (from 45 to 77) and in relatively low SES tended to present a more positive attitude towards medicine as reflected by the upward trend in high NCD reporting (Tables and ), which was in line with previous studies . This was because older patients (age 62 and above, in particular) tended to consider that their conditions were more severe than others due to the increase in the prevalence of multiple chronic illnesses, the number of regularly prescribed medicines and longer duration of administering those medicines.…”

“…Logistic regressions demonstrated that gender and age groups (young and old‐old) were significant predictors for SRH reporting, which in turn significantly predicted their NCD response. Regular administration of the SRH item, followed by specific questioning could, in daily practice, enhances early identification of patients who may have hesitant or distrustful belief attitudes towards their medications, which may lower their intention to adhere to treatments . As such, early identification of potentially non‐adherent patients was achieved and prompt intervention or monitoring could be put in place.…”

“…There were some limitations to our study. SRH and BMQ, like any other self‐reporting item or instrument, were vulnerable to psychological biases . Although precautions were taken to minimise such influences on the study, we could not eliminate all possibilities.…”

“…This is a common phenomenon with self‐reported health due to overall deterioration of health, which prevails among older individuals, and the relationship of better health and SES . While older patients’ concerns about their health become a dominant factor in respondents’ overall sense of physical well‐being, usual decline in physical fitness and deterioration of functional health among older patients projects a negative impact on their everyday life and discourages them to report a good or better health status . This negative impact may have a more significant effect on the old‐old patient group than the young‐old patient group as demonstrated by a higher proportion of patients aged 62–77 who perceived their health was either the same or better than the previous year (i.e.…”

“…Female participants were more likely to report low SRH and low NCD compared to male respondents (Tables and ). This may be because the major disease group for female respondents at RH is rheumatoid conditions (RTG) which have more obvious symptoms . Patients with RTG may perceive that the illness could be long‐lasting, thus affecting their emotional well‐being.…”