Association of patient preferences on medication discussion in hypertension: Results from a randomized clinical trial

Building Medication Profiles in the Elderly: a Qualitative Study Based on Medication Information Literacy in a Long-Term Care Facility

Purpose

Long-term care facilities are increasingly challenged with meeting the diverse healthcare needs of the elderly population, particularly concerning medication management. Understanding medication information literacy and behavior among this demographic is imperative. Therefore, this qualitative study aims to explore medication information literacy and develop distinct medication profiles among elderly long-term care residents.

Material and Methods

In this study, we conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 32 participants aged 65 or older residing in a long-term care facility. The interviews were designed to explore participants' understanding of medication information, medication management practices, and experiences with healthcare providers. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze the interview data, allowing for the identification of common patterns and themes related to medication-taking behavior among the elderly residents.

Results

The thematic analysis revealed four distinct medication behavior profiles among the elderly long-term care residents: (1) Proactive Health Self-Managers, (2) Medication Information Adherents, (3) Experience-Based Medication Users, and (4) Nonadherent Medication Users. These findings provide valuable insights into the diverse approaches to medication management within long-term care facilities and underscore the importance of tailored interventions to support the specific needs of each profile.

Conclusion

This study highlights the necessity for tailored medication education and support to optimize medication management for the elderly. With the aging population expansion, addressing the unique medication challenges within long-term care facilities becomes increasingly critical. This research contributes to ongoing endeavors to enhance healthcare services for the elderly, striving for safer and more effective medication-taking behavior.

A 4-factor perspective of the patient-practitioner orientation scale (PPOS): a deeper understanding of patient-centredness

BACKGROUND

Although patient-centred medical services are widely recognized and accepted, how to define and evaluate them remains a controversial topic.

OBJECTIVES

This study attempts to evaluate the underlying structure of the Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale (PPOS) with a homogenous population and clarify the connotation of patient-centredness.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, 279 7th year Chinese medical students in were selected to examine the internal structure of the PPOS by means of internal consistency, exploratory, and confirmatory factor analyses.

RESULTS

Both the two-factor model and the four-factor model showed acceptable internal consistency and structural validity. The four-factor model that endorsed the implicit attitude towards the doctor-patient relationship outperformed the two-factor model in terms of adaptability.

CONCLUSIONS

The PPOS has good psychometric attributes, as evaluated by Chinese medical students. This article attempts to explore patient-centredness from the perspective of implicit attitudes that affect the doctor-patient relationship and resummarizes the four factors. These four dimensions may suggest a deeper attitude towards the doctor-patient relationship, while "sharing information" or "caring about" the "patient" is the behaviour and preference expressed on the basis of these four attitudes, which is the result rather than the cause.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Understanding the underlying attitudes towards the doctor-patient relationship can help to construct a patient-centred medical service concept and improve the doctor-patient relationship in medical education courses and the system design of medical activities.

A Systematic Review of Patient Preferences, Expectations, and Values for the Management and Treatment of Hypertension

OBJECTIVE

To comprehensively summarize the evidence on the preferences, expectations, and values of hypertension management and treatment in hypertensive patients.

METHODS

From inception through January 2022, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, EBSCO, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure were searched for studies with hypertension value, preference, or expectation. A qualitative retrospective analysis was performed.

RESULTS

A total of 24 studies involving 8701 participants were included. Although studies on the preferences of hypertensive patients are difficult to standardize, considerable convergence has occurred: 1) Patients preferred treatment regimens with lower incidence of comorbidities, faster response, lower cost, more frequent blood pressure monitoring, fewer side effects, and more convenient medication. 2) Patients have a crucial role in the treatment, and their physicians are expected to develop a shared patient-centered decision-making model.

CONCLUSION

The results of this systematic review demonstrated that side effects, cost, and convenience are important factors for patients when selecting a treatment regimen for hypertension. Patients often obtain hypertension information from their physicians and prefer shared patient-centered decision-making.

Partially randomized patient preference trial: Comparative evaluation of fibromyalgia between acupuncture and cupping therapy (PRPP-FACT)

BACKGROUND

and purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of applying a partially randomized patients' preference (PRPP) trial in the clinical evaluation of acupuncture versus cupping therapy for fibromyalgia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The final study included 126 participants. Participants without a treatment modality preference were randomly assigned to either the cupping therapy group or the acupuncture group. Patients with strong preferences were assigned to their treatment modality of choice. Ashi points were used for treatment. Outcome measures were both qualitative (patient expectation and satisfaction) and quantitative (drop-out rate, pain intensity, quality of life, depression assessment).

RESULTS

The recruitment of the non-randomized participants was completed 8 months before the randomized participants were recruited. There was no statistical difference related to the grouping method in the adjusted drop-out rate, patient expectation, and satisfaction.

CONCLUSION

The PRPP model is suitable for use in the clinical evaluation of non-pharmaceutical therapies.