Can a mock medication-taking learning activity enable pharmacy students to experience the range of barriers and facilitators to medication adherence? An analysis informed by the Theoretical Domains Framework and COM-B model

Abstract

BackgroundPharmacy professionals are well-placed to provide medication adherence support to patients. The Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behaviour (COMB) and Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) are two complementary models previously applied to medication-taking behaviour. Understanding the patient-specific barriers and facilitators to adherence using psychological frameworks from the early stages of pharmacy education enables the design and delivery of effective interventions. ObjectivesTo examine whether a novel ‘mock medicine’ learning activity enabled students to experience the range of barriers and facilitators to medication adherence using the COM-B and TDF. MethodsA mock medicine activity was conducted with students at pharmacy schools in three universities in the UK, Norway, and Australia over one week. Percentage adherence was calculated for five dosing regimens; theoretical framework analysis was applied to map reflective statements from student logs to COM-B and TDF. ResultsA total of 349 students (52.6%) returned completed logs, with high overall mean adherence (83.5%, range 0–100%). Analysis of the 277 (79.4%) students who provided reflective statements included barriers and facilitators that mapped onto one (9%), two (29%) or all three (62%) of the COM-B components and all fourteen TDF domains (overall mean = 4.04; Uni 1 = 3.72; Uni 2 = 4.50; Uni 3 = 4.38; range 1–8). Most frequently mapped domains were ‘Environmental context and resources’ (n = 199; 72%), ‘Skills’ (n = 186; 67%), ‘Memory, attention and decision-making’ (184; 66%) and ‘Beliefs about capabilities’ (n = 175; 63%). ConclusionsThis is the first study to utilise both COM-B and TDF to analyse a proxy measure of medication adherence in pharmacy education. Data mapping demonstrated that students experienced similar issues to patients when prescribed a short course of medication. Importantly, all the factors influencing medication-taking reported by students were captured by these two psychological frameworks. Future educational strategies will involve students in the mapping exercise to gain hands-on experience of using these psychological constructs in practice.