Europe’s aging population is leading to a growing number of people affected by chronic disease, which will continue over the coming decades. Healthcare systems are under pressure to deliver appropriate care, partly due to the burden imposed on their limited financial and human resources by the growing number of people with (multiple) chronic diseases. Therefore, there is a strong call for patient self-management to meet these patients’ healthcare needs. While many patients experience medication self-management as difficult, it poses additional challenges for people with limited health literacy. This thesis aims to explore the needs of patients with a chronic disease and limited health literacy regarding medication self-management and how support for medication self-management can be tailored to those needs.
Background Medication self-management is complicated for older people. Little is known about older persons’ considerations and decisions concerning medication therapy at home. Objective (s): To explore how older people living at home self-manage their medication and what considerations and decisions underpin their medication self-management behavior. Methods Semi-structured interviews with consenting participants (living at home, aged ≥65, ≥5 different prescription medications daily) were recorded and transcribed with supporting photographs. Content was analyzed with a directed approach and presented according to three phases of medication self-management (initiation, execution, and discontinuation). Results Sixty people were interviewed. In the initiation phase, participants used different techniques to inform healthcare professionals and to fill and check prescriptions. Over-the-counter medication was seldom discussed, and potential interactions were unknown to the participants. Some participants decided to not start treatment after reading the patient information leaflets for fear of side effects. In the execution phase, participants had various methods for integrating the use of new and chronic medication in daily life. Usage problems were discussed with healthcare professionals, but side effects were not discussed, since the participants were not aware that the signs and symptoms of side effects could be medication-related. Furthermore, participants stored medication in various (sometimes incorrect) ways and devised their own systems for ordering and filling repeat prescriptions. In the discontinuation phase, some participants decided to stop or change doses by themselves (because of side effects, therapeutic effects, or a lack of effect). They also mentioned different considerations regarding medication disposal and disposed their medication (in)correctly, stored it for future use, or distributed it to others. Conclusions Participants’ considerations and decisions led to the following: problems in organizing medication intake, inadequate discussion of medication-related information with healthcare professionals, and incorrect and undesirable medication storage and disposal. There is a need for medication self-management observation, monitoring, and assistance by healthcare professionals.
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In Nederland gebruiken 65 plussers drie keer zoveel medicijnen als de gemiddelde Nederlander. Voor 75 plussers geldt dat zij vijf keer zoveel medicijnen gebruiken. In combinatie met leeftijdsgerelateerde natuurlijke veranderingen in het metabolisme, verminderde cognitie, multi-morbiditeit, verminderde nierfunctie, polyfarmacie en verminderde capaciteit tot herstel, zijn ouderen kwetsbaar voor medicatiegerelateerde problemen. Thuiszorg cliënten zijn doorgaans ouder dan 65 jaar, waardoor er vaker sprake is van polyfarmacie en verminderde cognitie. Daarom bevinden zich vooral in deze populatie cliënten, die kwetsbaar zijn voor medicatiegerelateerde problemen. Verschillende studies hebben aangetoond dat huisartsen en apothekers een bijdrage kunnen leveren aan het herkennen van medicatiegerelateerde problemen bij hun patiënten. Er is echter weinig aandacht besteed aan het vroegsignaleren van observaties die kunnen duiden op een medicatie gerelateerd probleem door thuiszorgmedewerkers. In aanvulling op de huisarts en apotheker zouden thuiszorgmedewerkers, die hun patiënten op regelmatige basis thuis bezoeken, een bijdrage kunnen leveren aan het vroegsignaleren van potentiële medicatiegerelateerde problemen. Het doel van dit proefschrift is het: 1. verkennen van de opvattingen van ouderen ten aanzien van hun medicatie en hun medicatie management capaciteit gerelateerd aan zelfmanagement vaardigheden en cognitie; 2. beschrijven van de kennis, houding en medicatie management praktijk van thuiszorgmedewerkers; 3. vaststellen of een gestandaardiseerde observatielijst leidt tot vroegsignalering van potentiële medicatiegerelateerde problemen in de thuiszorg
