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.
Highlights
Medication is one of the most common forms of treatment, with almost 70% of the UK population having received prescriptions for one or more medicines in their lifetime [1]
We aimed to explore resilience of medication adherence strategies to life changes, drawing on data obtained from those staying at home as much as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic
Resilience of Strategies Used to Reduce Unintentional Nonadherence Analysis of the interview transcripts led to identification of three types of strategies that patients used to help reduce unintentional nonadherence during normal times: routine, reminders, and multicompartment compliance aids (Figure 1)
Summary
Medication is one of the most common forms of treatment, with almost 70% of the UK population having received prescriptions for one or more medicines in their lifetime [1]. Nonadherence to medication can reduce its effectiveness, lead to worse health outcomes, and increase use of healthcare resources [3]. A large number of studies have explored factors affecting adherence [5] and evaluated interventions to increase medication adherence [6,7]. Furniss et al [8] suggested taking a systems resilience approach to adherence whereby strategies are developed to help the patient remember to take their medicines. Previous research has identified that patients develop their own strategies to assist with adherence [9]. Such research has not focused on how the helpfulness of these strategies may change in response to changes in patients’ circumstances
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