Resilience of Medication Adherence Practices in Response to Life Changes: Learning from Qualitative Data Obtained during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Nonadherence to medicines is widespread and can adversely affect health outcomes. Previous research has identified that patients develop their own strategies to assist with adherence. However, such research has not focused on how the helpfulness of these strategies may change in response to changes in patients’ circumstances. This study aimed to explore resilience of medication adherence to life changes. It involved secondary thematic analysis of the verbatim transcripts of 50 semi-structured interviews that were conducted with adults who were advised to shield or were over the age of 70 during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. Interview data suggested that resilience of medication adherence varied between participants. Participants either reported that they had not used any specific strategies to remind them to take their medicines prior to the pandemic, that the strategies that they had employed prior to the pandemic remained effective during the pandemic, that they had needed to make some adjustments to the strategies used, or that the strategies they had used were no longer effective. In addition, beliefs about medicines and motivation to take them were altered for some participants. These findings suggest that challenges associated with medication adherence do not always remain stable over time and that healthcare professionals need to continue to monitor and support medication adherence long-term.

Enhancing User Experience through Optimization Design Method for Elderly Medication Reminder Mobile Applications: A QFD-Based Research Approach

“…They are also very willing to share their medication information with their family members or complete medication reminders and notifications from their family members through electronic devices (D 34 Social function). According to the summary of the changes in reports on medication adherence challenges by Mushfique Ahmed et al [41], reminders may become more feasible, especially reminders from family members. The main reason for this is that many older adults feel a strong sense of loneliness, and receiving care and greetings from their family and friends will make them feel warm.…”

“…The privacy issues and convenience of logging in (D 32 User management and security) for older users also need to be considered. A previous research report in Singapore stated that privacy issues are a major barrier to the widespread adoption of technology, especially in the healthcare field [41]. Providing offline data or privacy settings is necessary, and the login method is the first step for users to start using the app [3].…”

Impact of Routines and Rituals on Burden of Treatment, Patient Training, Cognitive Load, and Anxiety in Self-Injected Biologic Therapy

“…30 One such example is using the act of brushing teeth in the morning as a prompt to take a morning dose of a medication. 33 On the other hand, rituals are comprised of tangible, enduring meaning; they may not be readily interpreted by outsiders or those unfamiliar with the ritual. 34 For example, a patient may dim the lights prior to injection therapy or use the same chair at the same time for every injection.…”