Abstract
Although home-dwelling older adults are frequently assisted with polypharmacy management by their informal caregivers, they can still face medication-related problems. Identifying older adults’ and their informal caregivers’ beliefs about medication is a gateway to understanding and improving medication adherence. This study aimed to analyse beliefs about polypharmacy among home-dwelling older adults with multiple chronic conditions and their informal caregivers, focusing on their daily medication practices. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 older adults, 17 informal caregivers, but also 13 healthcare professionals. Based on an inductive methodological approach, data were analysed using thematic content analysis. Interviews revealed the different attitudes adopted by older adults and their informal caregivers in relation to the treatment information provided by healthcare professionals. A variety of beliefs were identified and linked to medication adherence by examining daily medication practices. Polypharmacy was experienced as a habit but also an obligation, highlighting some of the strategies and negotiations underlying medication use at home. Collecting viewpoints from multiple stakeholders is an innovative way of accessing and analysing beliefs about polypharmacy. Daily medication practices provided information about medication beliefs and may contribute to developing targeted professional interventions that improve medication adherence.
Highlights
Our thematic content analysis allowed us to highlight three major themes illustrating the different types of beliefs about how medication management affects polymedicated home-dwelling older adults (OAs) and their Informal caregivers (ICs)
The healthcare professionals (HPs) added their viewpoints on the beliefs held by OAs and ICs
The first major theme explores the beliefs and preferences of OAs and ICs regarding the information transmitted by HPs about their medical treatments
Summary
Between 2019 and 2050, the proportion of people in Switzerland aged 65 years old or more should rise from 18.7% to 25.6% [1]. Many lead active lifestyles, they ever more frequently live with chronic illnesses and comorbidities [2,3,4], and these may imply multiple complex medication regimens [5]. Polymedicated older adults (OAs) face a greater risk of medication-related problems (MRPs) [6,7] such as inappropriate prescriptions, drug–drug reactions, medication side-effects, incorrect administration or non-adherence to treatment [8].
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