Abstract
BackgroundStroke is one of the top 10 leading diseases worldwide, with high mortality and morbidity rates. There is an incomplete understanding of the various types of self-efficacy involved in the prevention of recurrent stroke, and one of them is medication-taking self-efficacy.ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore the fundamental needs and barriers of medication-taking self-efficacy in poststroke patients in Malaysia.MethodsWe performed in-depth individual interviews with poststroke patients (N=10) from the Outpatient Neurology Clinic, Hospital Kuala Lumpur. All interviews were transcribed verbatim, and an inductive thematic analysis was performed on the data collected from the interviews.ResultsTwo key themes were identified: (1) self-efficacy in taking the effort to understand stroke and its preventative treatment for recurrent stroke and (2) self-efficacy in taking prescribed medication to prevent stroke. Patients needed to be proactive in seeking reliable information about stroke and the perceived benefits of preventative treatment for stroke. The discussion was focused on eliciting the needs and barriers related to medication-taking self-efficacy. Patients needed to develop independence and self-reliance to overcome barriers such as dependency and low motivation. External factors such as limited information resources, low perceived severity, poor social environment, and poor communication add to the challenges of poststroke patients to improve their self-efficacy of managing their medications.ConclusionsThe study identified potential key findings related to the needs of patients in a localized setting, which are also related to several health behavioral concepts and constructs, indicating the importance of overcoming barriers to improve the quality of life in poststroke patients. We anticipate that the results will be taken into consideration for future personalized patient education interventions.
Highlights
MethodsSurviving a stroke can be an enduring challenge that affects many facets of a person’s life
Research on stroke preventative medication such as antiplatelets and anticoagulants by pharmaceutical industries and treatment by health care providers has resulted in outstanding improvements in the morbidity and mortality of poststroke patients [3,4,5]
A review paper suggested that poor medication adherence is associated with modifiable patient factors that are related to a lack of understanding caused by low health literacy
Summary
MethodsSurviving a stroke can be an enduring challenge that affects many facets of a person’s life. Poor adherence of stroke preventative medications among poststroke patients was associated with a higher prevalence of cognitive disability, depression, low motivation, less social support, and low self-efficacy [10,11]. Patients needed to develop independence and self-reliance to overcome barriers such as dependency and low motivation External factors such as limited information resources, low perceived severity, poor social environment, and poor communication add to the challenges of poststroke patients to improve their self-efficacy of managing their medications. Conclusions: The study identified potential key findings related to the needs of patients in a localized setting, which are related to several health behavioral concepts and constructs, indicating the importance of overcoming barriers to improve the quality of life in poststroke patients. We anticipate that the results will be taken into consideration for future personalized patient education interventions
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