title: The influence of personal communities on the self-management of medication taking: A wider exploration of medicine work.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There is a lack of focus on the broader social context, networks and influences on medicine-taking as part of illness work. This work adopts a social network approach and seeks to explicate the nature of medicine-taking work that people with multiple long-term conditions (LTCs) and their social network members (SNMs) do in attempting to take their medications on a daily basis, the division of labour amongst these members and when and why SNMs become involved in that work.
  
  
  METHODS
  Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 people who had multiple LTCs. Medication networks were constructed and the division of labour in relation to medication-work was explored.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four types of medication-work emerged: medication articulation, surveillance, emotional and informational. Involvement of SNMs in medication-work was selective, performed primarily by family members, within the home. Involvement reflected network composition and/or an individual's conceptualisation/presentation of self.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings support and extend the conceptualisation of routine medicine-taking as a type of work. Furthermore, we illustrate the involvement of SNMs in aspects of medicine-work. Health professionals should explore and support the role of SNMs in medicine-taking where possible. Future research should explore the implications of network types and compositions on medicine-taking and associated work.
authors.affiliation: NIHR Greater Manchester Primary Care Patient Safety Translational Research Centre, Institute of Population Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom sudeh.cheraghi-sohi@manchester.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Sudeh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cheraghi-Sohi
authors.affiliation: NIHR Greater Manchester Primary Care Patient Safety Translational Research Centre, Institute of Population Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jeffries
authors.affiliation: UCL, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Stevenson
authors.affiliation: NIHR Greater Manchester Primary Care Patient Safety Translational Research Centre, Institute of Population Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Darren M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Ashcroft
authors.affiliation: NIHR Greater Manchester Primary Care Patient Safety Translational Research Centre, Institute of Population Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carr
authors.affiliation: NIHR Greater Manchester Primary Care Patient Safety Translational Research Centre, Institute of Population Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oliver
authors.affiliation: University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rogers
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D005190:Family; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D055118:Medication Adherence / Q000523:psychology; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012648:Self Care / Q000523:psychology*; D012649:Self Concept; D012944:Social Support; D014937:Work / Q000523:psychology
keywords: Multimorbidity; adherence; illness work; long-term conditions; social network