Elder and caregiver solutions to improve medication adherence.
Medication mismanagement is a growing public health concern, especially among elders. Annually, it is a major contributor to emergency hospitalization and nursing home placement. Elders and their caregivers, as healthcare consumers and stakeholders in this issue, are uniquely qualified to inform strategies to improve medication adherence. We conducted a qualitative study to ascertain caregiver and elder perceptions of barriers to medication management and to identify community-derived solutions to improve medication management. Nine focus groups (N = 65, mean age = 71) were conducted with caregivers or elders from five communities. Participants were recruited by key informants utilizing snowball sampling methodology. The following themes were identified in the participant-recommended proposed solutions improving medication adherence: (i) use of personal systems to overcome barriers to medication adherence, (ii) various solutions to address cost concerns, (iii) the need for regular review of medications by doctors or pharmacists to eliminate unnecessary medications, (iv) desire for community-driven support systems, and (v) using medical advocates. Elders and caregivers recognized medication non-adherence as a community-wide issue and were eager to offer solutions they thought would work in their communities. These solutions can lend credibility to strategies currently being developed/utilized and offer innovative recommendations for future interventions.
The School of Public Health, Georgia State University, P.O. Box 3965, Atlanta, GA 30302-3965, Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Thunder Bay, ON P7B 5E1, Canada and Department of Community Health and Health Behavior, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA koquin1@gsu.edu.
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The School of Public Health, Georgia State University, P.O. Box 3965, Atlanta, GA 30302-3965, Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Thunder Bay, ON P7B 5E1, Canada and Department of Community Health and Health Behavior, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA.
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The School of Public Health, Georgia State University, P.O. Box 3965, Atlanta, GA 30302-3965, Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Thunder Bay, ON P7B 5E1, Canada and Department of Community Health and Health Behavior, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA.
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D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005252:Fees, Pharmaceutical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055118:Medication Adherence / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D019338:Polypharmacy; D036301:Qualitative Research; D017010:Reminder Systems