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Medication adherence in rheumatoid arthritis patients: older is wiser.

OBJECTIVES: To create a profile of individuals nonadherent to their medications in an age-stratified sample (ages 34-84) of community-dwelling rheumatoid arthritis patients. The relative contributions of age, cognitive function, disability, emotional state, lifestyle, and beliefs about illness to nonadherence were assessed. DESIGN: A direct observation approach was used in conjunction with structural equation modeling. All participants were administered a preliminary assessment battery. Medications were then transferred to vials with microelectronic caps that recorded medication events for all medications for the next 4 weeks. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: A volunteer sample of 121 community-dwelling rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients were recruited from newspaper ads, posters, and via informal physician contact from private rheumatology practices in Atlanta and Athens, Georgia. Written verification of the RA diagnosis and a disease severity rating were obtained from personal physicians before patients were enrolled in the study. Patients were tested in a private physician's office, and their medication adherence was monitored electronically for a month in their every-day work and home settings. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Structural equation modeling techniques were used to develop a model of adherence behavior. Cognitive and psychosocial measures were used to construct latent variables to predict adherence errors. The model of medication adherence explained 39% of the variance in adherence errors. The model demonstrated that older adults made the fewest adherence errors, and middle-aged adults made the most. A busy lifestyle, age, and cognitive deficits predicted nonadherence, whereas coping with arthritis-related moods predicted adherence. Illness severity, medication load, and physical function did not predict adherence errors. Omission of medication accounted for nearly all errors. CONCLUSION: Despite strong evidence for normal, age-related cognitive decline in this sample, older adults had sufficient cognitive function to manage medications. A busy lifestyle and middle age were more determinant of who was at risk of nonadherence than beliefs about medication or illness. Thus, practicing physicians should not assume that older adults have insufficient cognitive resources to manage medications and that they will be the most likely to make adherence errors. Very busy middle-aged adults seem to be at the greatest risk of managing medications improperly.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Influencing medication adherence among women with AIDS.

This study examined the effects of a ten-session cognitive-behavioural stress management/expressive supportive therapy (CBSM+) intervention on adherence to antiretroviral medication. Although the intervention was not designed to influence adherence, it was theorized that improved coping and social support could enhance adherence. Women with AIDS (N = 174) in Miami, New York and New Jersey, USA, were randomized to a group CBSM+ intervention or individual control condition. Participants were African American (55%), Latina (18%) and Caribbean (18%) with drug (55%) and/or alcohol (32%) histories. Participants were assessed on self-reported medication adherence over seven days, HIV-related coping strategies and beliefs regarding HIV medication. Baseline overall self-reported adherence rates were moderate and related to coping strategies and HIV medication beliefs. Low adherent (80%) participants in the intervention condition increased their mean self-reported medication adherence (30.4% increase, t44 = 3.1, p < 0.01), whereas low adherent women in the control condition showed a non-significant trend (19.6% increase, t44 = 2.0, p > 0.05). The intervention did not improve adherence in this population; conditions did not differ significantly on self-reported adherence. Low adhering intervention participants significantly decreased levels of denial-based coping (F1,88 = 5.97, p < 0.05). Results suggest that future interventions should utilize group formats and address adherence using coping and medication-knowledge focused strategies.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

What influences patients' medication adherence? Mental health nurse perspectives and a need for education and training.

This paper explores the role of mental health nurses in medication adherence and their perspective of what influences patients' medication non-adherence. Forty-eight mental health nurses with active patient caseloads completed a comprehensive questionnaire assessing a number of variables related to medications, including whom they felt was primarily responsible for monitoring the side-effects of medication, their knowledge skills and confidence in dealing with medication adherence and their prior education and training in medication adherence strategies. Lack of patient insight was endorsed as the strongest influence on patient non-adherence. Over 84% of nurses indicated they did not have any prior education or training in medication adherence strategies. Implications of the findings for education and training and nurses' roles in supporting medication adherence are discussed.

Adult↗

Substance abuse and medication adherence among HIV-positive women with histories of child sexual abuse.

Substance abuse increases the risks for infections and impairs medication adherence among HIV/AIDS patients. However, little is known about the characteristics of substance abuse and its impact on medication adherence among HIV-positive women with a history of child sexual abuse (CSA). In the present study, 148 HIV-positive women with a history of CSA completed a structured interview assessing CSA severity, psychological status, substance abuse, medication adherence, and sexual decision-making. Severity of CSA was significantly associated with substance use but not with adherence. Participants who had used hard drugs and who had lower self-esteem and adherence self-efficacy reported significantly lower levels of adherence. Additional research on how CSA experiences impact health behaviors is needed to help develop culturally congruent interventions to reduce risk behaviors and facilitate better medication adherence for this vulnerable population.

Adult↗

Literacy, self-efficacy, and HIV medication adherence.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the relationship between patient literacy level and self-reported HIV medication adherence, while estimating the mediating roles of treatment knowledge and self-efficacy on this relationship. METHODS: Structured patient interviews with a literacy assessment, supplemented by medical chart review, were conducted among 204 consecutive patients receiving care at infectious disease clinics in Shreveport, Louisiana and Chicago, Illinois. Literacy was measured using the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM), while the Patient Medication Adherence Questionnaire (PMAQ) was used to assess medication self-efficacy and adherence to antiretroviral regimens in the past 4 days. RESULTS: Approximately one-third of patients (30.4%) were less than 100% adherent to their regimen, and 31.4% had marginal to low literacy skills. In multivariate analyses, low literate patients were 3.3 times more likely to be non-adherent to their antiretroviral regimen (p < 0.001). Patients' self-efficacy, but not knowledge, mediated the impact of low literacy on medication adherence (AOR 7.4, 95% CI 2.7-12.5). CONCLUSION: While low literacy was a significant risk factor for improper adherence to HIV medication regimens in our study, self-efficacy mediated this relationship. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Comprehensive intervention strategies that go beyond knowledge transfer may be needed to address self-efficacy among patients across all literacy levels to be successful in the management of difficult medication schedules.

Adult↗

Validity of a prescription claims database to estimate medication adherence in older persons.

BACKGROUND: Prescription claims data have been used to estimate refill medication adherence through calculations of cumulative medication acquisition (CMA) and cumulative medication gap (CMG) values. Few studies have assessed the validity of these calculated rates. OBJECTIVES: We sought to assess the validity of CMA and CMG calculated from the Manitoba prescription claims database (DPIN) against pill count medication adherence, targeting overall medications and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs). METHODS: Using a survey of a convenience sample of subjects recruited through community pharmacies, subjects who were eligible for study (ie, 65 years or older, noninstitutionalized, taking 2 or more "discrete" prescribed medications, including an ACEI, and willing to provide informed consent) were studied. Pill counts were conducted on all prescribed medicines during 3 home interviews over the course of 4 months. Ten months of DPIN data also were collected on each subject. RESULTS: The concordance between CMA and pill count for overall medications was 411/522 (79%) and for ACEIs was 89/101 (88%) with no systematic differences (McNemar's P = 0.68 and P = 0.097, respectively). CMG and pill count showed even better concordance of 438/514 (85%) for overall medications and 96/101 (95%) for ACEIs, although systematic differences were noted for overall medications (McNemar's P = 0.0012) but not for ACEIs (McNemar's P = 0.500). Spearman's rank correlations were weak for all comparisons. CONCLUSIONS: The high concordance between prescription claims database and pill counts suggested that the rate with which patients refill their medications usually is consistent with the rate they consume them. DPIN is not accurate for nondiscrete dosage forms or medications prescribed for "as-required" use.

Aged↗

Effect of subjective reasoning and neurocognition on medication adherence for persons with schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the relationship between patients' reasoning about medication adherence and neurocognitive and clinical indices for a treatment-compliant sample of Japanese patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: Subjective reasoning about medication adherence was assessed by the Rating of Medication Influences (ROMI) scale. General intelligence, executive function, and verbal memory were assessed by the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, respectively. RESULTS: Higher prevention scores were associated with lower executive functioning and older age. Influence of others was associated with years of education, medication dosage, and IQ, and medication affinity was associated with education. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that executive functioning, education, and general IQ may all be important factors in individual motivation for medication adherence.

Adult↗

Racial differences in analgesic/anti-inflammatory medication adherence among patients with osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the prevalence of self-reported adherence to medications for osteoarthritis (OA) and racial differences in adherence. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional survey of 156 Black and White veterans who were taking medications for OA. RESULTS: One quarter of participants reported sometimes forgetting to take their OA medications, 16% were sometimes careless about taking medications, and 27% sometimes stopped taking their medications when they felt better. Overall, 44% of participants reported at least one of these three behaviors. In a multivariable logistic regression model adjusting for demographic factors, OA severity, participatory decision making (PDM), and side effects, Black patients were more likely to report at least one nonadherent behavior (odds ratio [OR] = 2.25, 95% CI = 1.03-4.91). Patients with greater PDM scores were slightly less likely to report nonadherent behavior (OR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.91-0.99). DISCUSSION: Additional research is needed to examine factors underlying racial differences in adherence, to guide effective interventions.

Analgesics↗

Antihypertensive medication adherence in the Department of Veterans Affairs.

PURPOSE: Adherence measures the extent to which patients take medications as prescribed by their health care provider. The control of hypertension is dependent on medication adherence and may vary on the basis of antihypertensive medication class and other factors. METHODS: The Department of Veterans Affairs' automated pharmacy database captures pharmacy medication use; International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, diagnostic codes; and laboratory and patient demographic data on a monthly basis. Hypertensive patients who used thiazide diuretics, beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, calcium channel antagonists, and alpha-blockers from July 2002 to December 2003 were studied. The first date of prescription filling for each patient within the date range was the index date from which fill and refill dates were collected for up to 18 months to calculate medication possession ratios and days out of medication ratios. Patients were categorized as adherent if the medication possession ratio was 80% or greater. Logistic regression was used to study the association of medication class, age, gender, ethnicity, Veterans Affairs facility, and co-diagnosis with diabetes, schizophrenia/psychosis, depression, and dementia with medication adherence. RESULTS: We studied 40,492 hypertensive patients taking at least one antihypertensive drug class. The average age per class ranged from 67.4 to 72.9 years; 96% were male; and 51% were white, 8% were African-American, 4% were Asian-American, and 3% were Hispanic. Unadjusted adherence rates based on the medication possession ratio ranged from 78.3% for thiazide diuretics to 83.6% for angiotensin receptor blockers (P<.001). The number of medications (either total or antihypertensive) and age were independent predictors of better adherence. Black ethnicity and depression were associated with worse adherence. CONCLUSIONS: Adherence rates with all antihypertensive medications were high. Although there were statistical differences by drug class, these differences were small. Ethnicity and depression identified groups that might benefit from programs to improve adherence.

Aged↗

Testing a nurse-tailored HIV medication adherence intervention.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between patient adherence and treatment outcomes has been documented across chronic health conditions, but the evidence base for effective adherence interventions in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) requires more rigorous research and reporting. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to determine whether a tailored, nurse-delivered adherence intervention program--Client Adherence Profiling and Intervention Tailoring (CAP-IT)--improved adherence to HIV medications, compared with standard care, and to identify the relationship among adherence measures. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial (RCT) with repeated measures was used to test the efficacy of CAP-IT over a 6-month period. A convenience sample of 240 participants was recruited from a freestanding public HIV/AIDS clinic in Houston, TX, that provides medical, psychological, and pharmaceutical services for over 5,000 clients. Study instruments and measures included demographics; chart audit to capture CD4 count, viral load, and prescribed medications; health literacy; and five measures of adherence (AIDS Clinical Trial Group-Revised Reasons for Missing Medications, Morisky Self-Report of Medication Non-Adherence, Pill Count, Medication Event Monitoring System [MEMS] caps, and Pharmacy Refill). RESULTS: A logistic regression using generalized estimating equations method showed no significant differences over time on the five medication-adherence measures between the experimental and control groups. Little correlation was documented among the five different adherence measures, and there was minimal correlation with clinical markers. DISCUSSION: It is unclear why the tailored adherence intervention was not efficacious in improving medication adherence. The findings suggest that these measures of medication adherence did not perform as expected and that, perhaps, they are not adequate measures of adherence. Effective and efficient adherence interventions are needed to address the barriers to medication adherence in HIV/AIDS.

Adult↗

Multicultural medication adherence: a comparative study.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of several interventions on improving medication adherence among White, Black, and Hispanic older women. A total of 109 women older than age 65 who were participating in a clinical osteoporosis trial were recruited for this 12-month study examining medication adherence. After baseline medication adherence was assessed, participants underwent standardized teaching. Participants were contacted monthly by telephone and were seen in a clinic setting every 3 months. All participants used a pillbox for 6 months, and the minority women used an electronic monitoring bottle for 6 months. Adherence was highest in White women. Black women showed significant improvement in adherence at 9 and 12 months, and Hispanic women demonstrated a significant increase in adherence at 12 months. The use of electronic monitors had a positive effect on adherence for the minority women.

Black or African American↗

Interventions to improve antipsychotic medication adherence: review of recent literature.

Antipsychotic nonadherence is an important barrier to the successful treatment of schizophrenia and can lead to clinical and economic burdens. Interventions capable of significantly improving medication adherence in patients with schizophrenia would be beneficial in maximizing treatment outcomes with antipsychotics. This article reviews recent literature reporting interventions designed to improve antipsychotic adherence in patients with schizophrenia. We searched the Medline, Healthstar, and PsycInfo electronic databases for articles published since 1980 on interventions to improve medication adherence in schizophrenia. Twenty-one studies met our selection criteria. In this review, educational, behavioral, affective, or a combination of these approaches to improve adherence were examined. A total of 23 interventions were tested, as 2 studies investigated more than 1 intervention. While study design and adherence measures varied across the trials reviewed, medication adherence was noted to moderately improve with 15 of the 23 interventions tested. Interventions of a purely educational nature were the least successful at improving antipsychotic adherence. The greatest improvement in adherence was seen with interventions employing combinations of educational, behavioral, and affective strategies with which improvements in adherence were noted in 8 out of 12 studies, with additional secondary gains such as: reduced relapse, decreased hospitalization, decreased psychopathology, improved social function, gains in medication knowledge, and improved insight into the need for treatment. Longer interventions and an alliance with therapists also appeared important for successful outcomes. The continuing development and study of successful interventions to improve medication adherence are necessary to maximize the usefulness of pharmacologic treatment of schizophrenia.

Adult↗

How does depression influence diabetes medication adherence in older patients?

OBJECTIVE: Using various measures (electronic monitoring, patient/provider report, pharmacy data), the authors assessed the association between depression and diabetes medication adherence among older patients with Type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Patients completed a baseline survey on depression (Patient Health Questionnaire) and were given electronic monitoring caps (EMCs) to use with their oral hypoglycemic medication. At the time of the patient baseline survey, providers completed a survey on their patients' overall medication adherence. Upon returning the caps after 30 days, patients completed a survey on their overall medication adherence. EMC adherence was defined as percent of days out of 30 with correct number of doses. Using pharmacy refill data from the patient baseline through 1 year later, they defined adherence as the percentage of days with adequate medication, based on days' supply across refill periods. RESULTS: Of 203 patients (mean age: 67 years), 10% (N=19) were depressed. Depressed patients were less likely to self-report good adherence and had a lower median percentage of days with adequate medication coverage (on the basis of pharmacy refill data). After adjustment for alcohol use, cognitive impairment, age, and other medication use, depression was still negatively associated with adequate adherence, according to patient report and pharmacy data. Depression showed no associated with adherence on the basis of provider or EMC data. CONCLUSIONS: Depression was independently associated with inadequate medication adherence on the basis of patient self-report and pharmacy data.

Adult↗

Problem drinking and medication adherence among persons with HIV infection.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relation between problem drinking and medication adherence among persons with HIV infection. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred twelve persons with HIV infection who visited 2 outpatient clinics between December 1997 and February 1998. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Nineteen percent of subjects reported problem drinking during the previous month, 14% missed at least 1 dose of medication within the previous 24 hours, and 30% did not take their medications as scheduled during the previous week. Problem drinkers were slightly more likely to report a missed dose (17% vs 12 %, P =.38) and significantly more likely to report taking medicines off schedule (45% vs 26%, P =.02). Among drinking subtypes, taking medications off schedule was significantly associated with both heavy drinking (high quantity/frequency) (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 4.70; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.49 to 14.84; P <.05) and hazardous drinking (adjusted OR, 2.64; 95% CI, 1.07 to 6.53; P <.05). Problem drinkers were more likely to report missing medications because of forgetting (48% vs 35%, P =.10), running out of medications (15% vs 8%, P =.16), and consuming alcohol or drugs (26 % vs 3 %, P <.001). CONCLUSION: Problem drinking is associated with decreased medication adherence, particularly with taking medications off schedule during the previous week. Clinicians should assess for alcohol problems, link alcohol use severity to potential adherence problems, and monitor outcomes in both alcohol consumption and medication adherence.

Adult↗

Pharmionics in dermatology: a review of topical medication adherence.

The objective of this article was to review patient adherence to topical medications and its relationship to health outcomes in dermatologic disease. To this end, MEDLINE searches from January 1966 through June 2006 and EMBASE searches from January 1974 through June 2006 were conducted. Relevant human efficacy studies, including randomized controlled trials, observational studies, and case-control studies, were selected on the basis of the key words 'compliance,' 'adherence,' 'pharmionics,' 'topical,' 'medication,' or 'dermatology.' Studies were included and reviewed on the basis of their experimental design, controls, and statistical analysis. Analysis revealed that suboptimal adherence to topical medications is a common cause of minimal response or lack of response to drugs and is linked with poor dermatologic outcomes in diseases such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and acne. It is concluded that non-adherence to topical medications is as common as non-adherence to oral medications, and its relationship to poor health outcomes is clear. Several barriers to topical medication adherence and predictors of non-adherence are similar to those for oral medications, while other barriers and predictors are unique to topical medications and the nature of dermatologic disease. Further studies of effective interventions to increase adherence are necessary to improve health outcomes in dermatology.

Administration, Cutaneous↗

The impact of depressive symptoms and psychosocial factors on medication adherence in cardiovascular disease.

OBJECTIVE: This study sought to determine the influence of depression and psychosocial factors on medication adherence in cardiovascular disease. METHODS: A questionnaire including measures of depression, beliefs about medicines, health locus of control and adherence to medication (self-report) was completed by 122 outpatients attending a cardiac clinic. RESULTS: Analysis revealed that 14.8% of participants were non-adherent with their cardiovascular medication and 41.7% had scores indicative of depressive symptoms as determined by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Higher scores on this scale and strong concern scores on the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire about the potential adverse effects of using medication as prescribed were found to be associated with self-reported non-adherence. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: These findings imply that the relationship between depressive symptoms in cardiovascular patients, together with certain psychosocial factors, could have negative consequences for adherence to medication. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Given that there is emerging evidence to suggest an association between depression and medication non-adherence, healthcare professionals should consider this when dealing with cardiovascular patients.

Attitude to Health↗

The concordance of self-report with other measures of medication adherence: a summary of the literature.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the concordance of self-report measures of medication adherence (interview, diary, or questionnaire) with nonself-report measures of adherence (administrative claims, pill count or canister weight, plasma drug concentration, electronic monitors, or clinical opinion). METHODS: A literature search was conducted to identify published reports in which self-report and nonself-report measures of adherence were used within the same study. The concordance of measures within each study was categorized as high, moderate, or low based on a comparison of the adherence estimates. RESULTS: Eight-six comparisons of self-report to nonself-report measures of adherence were identified. Thirty-seven of the 86 comparisons (43%) were categorized as highly concordant. However, concordance varied substantially by type of self-report measure and nonself-report measure. Self-report measures, in general, were highly concordant with electronic measures in only 17% of comparisons, whereas they were highly concordant with other types of nonself-report measures in 58% of comparisons (chi-square = 14.30, P <0.01). When comparing self-report measures, interviews had significantly lower concordance with nonself-report measures as compared with questionnaires or diaries (chi-square = 8.47, P = 0.01). In 15 comparisons of interviews with electronic measures, none of the comparisons were highly concordant, whereas questionnaires and diaries had moderate-to-high concordance with electronic measures in 12 of 16 comparisons (75%). CONCLUSIONS: The concordance of self-report and other measures of medication adherence varies widely based on the type of measures used. Questionnaires and diaries tend to have moderate-to-high concordance with other measures of medication adherence. However, interview-based self-reports are not concordant with electronic measures. Questionnaire and diary methods could be preferable to interviews for self-reported medication adherence.

Data Collection↗

Evaluation of the Patient Medication Adherence Questionnaire as a tool for self-reported adherence assessment in HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral regimens.

PURPOSE: Adherence to antiretroviral medications is critically important for the success of therapy in patients treated for HIV infection. Patient self-report is a simple method to measure and explore adherence. Even though a variety of surveys have been developed to monitor self-reported adherence, there is no standardized instrument that may be used in routine clinical practice. The usefulness of the Patient Medication Adherence Questionnaire (PMAQ) was evaluated in HIV-infected patients on protease inhibitor (PI)-containing regimens. METHOD: Data from 149 patients were collected. Study participants completed the PMAQ and provided blood samples to measure plasma HIV-1 RNA concentrations and trough plasma levels of PI. Patients were considered adherent if they had a virologic response and/or had an adequate trough plasma level of PI. RESULTS: A close relationship was found between patient reports of adherence during the previous 4 days and objective measures such as HIV RNA level and plasma levels of PI. Motivation with regard to antiretroviral treatment, confidence in personal skills, and an optimistic attitude to life were identified as important determinants of adherence. On the other hand, sociodemographic background, social support, alcohol and illicit drug use, bothersome symptoms, and depression were not associated with a lower medication adherence. CONCLUSION: Patients' psychological and behavioral factors are central in the acceptance and adherence to antiretroviral therapy. To improve the feasibility and the reproducibility of the PMAQ, we propose a revised form of the PMAQ, focusing on the variables identified as strong predictors of adherence.

Adult↗