A personalized medication overview appears to be beneficial for caregivers and medication changes: Presenter(s): Laura Schackmann, Nivel/ Groningen University, Netherlands. (April 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: van Dijk, Liset; Brabers, Anne; Zwier, Sandra; Koster, Ellen; Vervloet, Marcia
• Is Part Of: Patient education and counseling. Volume 109(2023)Supplement
• Page Start: 38
• Publication Date: 2023-04
• Subjects: Patient education -- Periodicals; Health counseling -- Periodicals; Health education -- Periodicals; Counseling -- Periodicals; Patient Education -- Periodicals; Éducation des patients -- Périodiques; Counseling -- Périodiques; Éducation sanitaire -- Périodiques; 615.5071
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2022.10.096
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0738-3991

Abstract

Abstract : Background: Clear communication is important for proper medication use, though instructions on prescription medication labels are not always well understood. A personalized medication overview (MijnGiB) listing all prescribed medications and including visual information may support patients. This study aimed to investigate the comprehensibility of instructions on MijnGiB compared to usual-care prescription labels and assessed experiences/opinions of MijnGiB in medication users and caregivers. Methods: This mixed-methods study included a fictious questionnaire experiment and interviews. The online questionnaires were sent to a stratified sample of 900 members from the Nivel Dutch Healthcare Consumer Panel. Outcome measures included comprehension of use instructions; how often, intake moment, usage advice and warnings. ANOVAs were used to analyze differences between experimental conditions (MijnGiB (yes/no) x fictively prescribed medications (3, 5, 8)). Medication users were interviewed twice (N=10 first interview, N=8 second interview) and N=10 caregivers once. They were asked about their opinions and expectations with regards to MijnGiB. Patient experiences were assessed in the second interview. Thematic analysis was used. Findings: Experiment participants (N=604) understood both the MijnGiB and prescriptions label instructions well, with small differences per group. MijnGiB contains more information (for which indication and advice) than on the usual-care label only, whereby the MijnGiB-group correctly answered questions related to this information more often. Most interviewed medication users, who routinely used medications, did not consider MijnGiB necessary for themselves. However, they believe that the overview can be useful in case of complex medication regimes and changes in medication. Caregivers also indicated that MijnGiB can provide overview to support their relatives. Discussion: A personalized medication overview appears to be beneficial for caregivers and people with medication changes and may contribute to better patient-centered communication. Follow-up research is needed to investigate the effect on proper medication use, and which patient types benefit most from the overview.