Practice-Based Approach to Assessing and Treating Non-Adherence in Pediatric Regimens

Randomized pilot trial of cell phone support to improve medication adherence among adolescents and young adults with chronic health conditions

Introduction

Adolescents and young adults (AYA) living with chronic medical conditions often struggle to develop medication adherence skills. This pilot trial evaluated the impact of a mobile health coaching intervention, Cell Phone Support (CPS), on medication adherence.

Methods

Interventions in this randomized trial were CPS delivered by phone calls (CPS-C), CPS delivered by text messages (CPS-T), or automated text message reminders (ATR). Participants were AYA with different chronic medical conditions (i.e., sickle cell disease, solid organ transplant, type 2 diabetes), aged 15-20 years (N = 34). We examined the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of each intervention.

Results

We examined the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of both CPS interventions. CPS was feasible and acceptable. There was evidence that participants found CPS to be more useful than ATR. In this pilot trial, participants receiving CPS reported relatively stronger increases in adherence, compared to those assigned to ATR. CPS-C slightly outperformed CPS-T.

Conclusions

Providing coaching to AYA struggling with illness self-management via their cell phones may promote their acquisition of medication adherence skills. Although larger studies are needed to confirm the results of this pilot study, phone calls and text messages are both promising modalities for delivering human cell phone support.

Trial registration

This trial was registered prospectively at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04241627) on 1/27/2020.

The Impact of Adherence and Health Literacy on Difficult-to-Control Asthma

Medication nonadherence and health literacy are key factors that influence the management of difficult-to-control asthma. Adherence, or the extent to which a patient follows a treatment plan, extends beyond asthma medication use and includes an appropriate inhaler technique. Assessment of adherence is critical before making a diagnosis of severe asthma and stepping up asthma therapy but is challenging in the clinical context. Health literacy, or the degree to which individuals can obtain, process, and understand health information and services needed to make health care decisions, is additionally important for asthma management and has been shown to impact medication adherence. Initiatives aiming to improve difficult-to-control asthma should address medication adherence and health literacy. Universal health literacy precautions are recommended while communicating with patients, in addition to the creation of low health literacy asthma action plans. To improve adherence, a comprehensive assessment of adherence should be conducted. Additional evidence-based interventions aiming to improve adherence focus on appropriate inhaler use, improved access to medications, the use of digital platforms, school-based asthma interventions, and the implementation of culturally tailored interventions. Data are limited regarding the use of these initiatives in patients with severe or difficult-to-control asthma.

Daily text message assessments of 6-mercaptopurine adherence and its proximal contexts in adolescents and young adults with leukemia: A pilot study

BACKGROUND

This pilot study explored the feasibility and acceptability of implementing text-based assessments of oral chemotherapy adherence in adolescents and young adults (AYA) with leukemia.

METHODS

AYA prescribed maintenance 6-mercaptopurine (6MP) received daily text message surveys and utilized an electronic pill bottle for 28 days. Text surveys assessed 6MP adherence and contextual associates (eg, mood). Feasibility was defined by recruitment/retention rates, survey completion rates, cost, and technical issues. After the 28-day period, AYA completed an acceptability survey. Secondary analyses compared text survey and electronic pill bottle adherence rates, and explored the daily associations between contextual factors and 6MP nonadherence.

RESULTS

Eighteen AYA enrolled (M age = 18, range 15-22) and completed study procedures (100% recruitment and retention rates). Adherence survey completion rates were high (M = 88.9%), the technology cost was $204.00, and there were few technical issues. AYA reported high satisfaction with the surveys and perceived them as a helpful medication reminder. While not significantly correlated, survey and electronic pill bottle adherence data converged on the majority of days (>90%). Exploratory analyses showed that AYA were more likely to miss a dose of 6MP on weekends (OR = 2.33, P = .048) and on days when their adherence motivation (OR = 0.28, P = .047) and negative affect (OR = 3.92, P = .02) worsened from their own typical functioning.

CONCLUSIONS

For AYA with leukemia, daily text-based surveys are a feasible and acceptable method for delivering medication adherence assessments, and may operate as a short-term intervention. To develop personalized mobile health interventions, findings also highlighted the need to study time-varying predictors of 6MP nonadherence.

Pediatric Psychosocial Standards of Care in action: Research that bridges the gap from need to implementation

OBJECTIVE

To describe innovative models of psychosocial care delivery that align with published Standards of Psychosocial Care of Children with Cancer and their Families, in efforts to bridge the divide between research and practice.

METHODS

The Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation, in partnership with the American Psychosocial Oncology Society reviewed 22 letters of intent and 13 full grants and awarded small grants to researchers with high quality projects that aimed to implement any of the published 15 Standards of Care. For three of the highest rated funded research projects, we describe the Standard implemented, the novel research design and implementation strategies, and how the research findings might inform the development, implementation, and dissemination of effective solutions for bridging Standard-to-practice gaps.

RESULTS

The first study presented is an innovative eHealth intervention for parents of children with cancer designed to improve family functioning and decrease symptoms of acute distress, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress. The second study addresses the acceptability and feasibility of using daily text message assessments of oral chemotherapy adherence in adolescents and young adults with leukemia, and the third creates a blueprint for providing psychosocial services to siblings, including ways to overcome common implementation barriers.

CONCLUSIONS

Several themes emerged from the studies presented, including (1) attention to barriers to previous attempts at implementation; (2) technology's role in delivering care; (3) the need for stakeholder involvement; and (4) consideration for multi-pronged solutions that address heterogeneity in care settings. Next steps for integrating the Standards of Psychosocial Care into clinical practice are discussed.

Patient-Reported Outcomes for Pediatric Adherence and Self-Management: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVE

Treatment adherence is approximately 50% across pediatric conditions. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are the most common method of measuring adherence and self-management across research and clinical contexts. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate adherence and self-management PROs, including measures of adherence behaviors, adherence barriers, disease management skills, and treatment responsibility.

METHODS

Following PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews, literature searches were performed. Measures meeting inclusion/exclusion criteria were evaluated using Hunsley and Mash's (2018) criteria for evidence-based assessment across several domains (e.g., internal consistency, interrater reliability, test-retest reliability, content validity, construct validity, validity generalization, treatment sensitivity, and clinical utility). Rating categories were adapted for the present study to include the original categories of adequate, good, and excellent, as well as an additional category of below adequate.

RESULTS

After screening 172 articles, 50 PROs across a variety of pediatric conditions were reviewed and evaluated. Most measures demonstrated at least adequate content validity (n = 44), internal consistency (n = 34), and validity generalization (n = 45). Findings were mixed regarding interrater reliability, test-retest reliability, and treatment sensitivity. Less than half of the measures (n = 22) exhibited adequate, good, or excellent construct validity.

CONCLUSIONS

Although use of adherence and self-management PROs is widespread across several pediatric conditions, few PROs achieved good or excellent ratings based on rigorous psychometric standards. Validation and replication studies with larger, more diverse samples are needed. Future research should consider the use of emerging technologies to enhance the feasibility of broad implementation.

Refill Adherence Measures and Its Association with Economic, Clinical, and Humanistic Outcomes Among Pediatric Patients: A Systematic Review

Although refill adherence measures (RAMs) are widely reviewed on their use among adult patients, existing reviews on adherence among children have only focused on self-report measures and electronic monitoring. Hence, this systematic review aims to examine the use of RAMs and their association with economic, clinical, and humanistic outcomes (ECHO) among pediatric patients. A literature search was conducted in Pubmed, Embase, CINAHL, and PsycINFO. Studies published in English involving subjects aged ≤18 years were included if RAMs were analyzed with ECHO. Of the 35 included studies, the majority (n = 33) were conducted in high-income countries. Asthma was the most common condition (n = 9) studied. Overall, 60.6% of 33 clinical outcomes reported among 22 studies was positive (improved clinical outcomes with improved adherence), while 21.9% of 32 economic outcomes reported among 16 studies was positive (reduced healthcare utilization or cost outcomes with improved adherence). Only four studies evaluated the relationship of adherence with 11 humanistic outcomes, where the majority (72.7%) were considered unclear. RAMs are associated with ECHO and can be considered for use in the pediatric population. Future studies could explore the use of RAMs in low-income countries, and the association of RAMs with quality of life.

Family Functioning and Medical Adherence Across Children and Adolescents With Chronic Health Conditions: A Meta-Analysis

Objectives

A meta-analysis examined family functioning and medical adherence in children and adolescents with chronic health conditions. Family functioning was evaluated at the level of the family unit, as well as parent-child interactions.

Methods

We conducted literature searches using PubMed, PsycINFO, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and Cochrane. After reviewing 764 articles, 62 studies met eligibility criteria. Pearson's r correlations were the effect size of interest. We conducted both omnibus and domain-specific (e.g., family conflict, cohesion) meta-analyses. Meta-regressions examined whether relevant covariates related to the magnitude of the effect.

Results

The omnibus meta-analysis showed that family functioning was significantly related to medical adherence across a variety of pediatric chronic health conditions. Lower family conflict, greater family cohesion, greater family flexibility, more positive communication, and better family problem-solving were each associated with better adherence. There were no significant differences in the magnitude of the omnibus effect based on child age, measurement features (subjective vs. objective or bioassay adherence; family unit vs. parent-child interactions), or study quality.

Conclusions

Consistent with social-ecological frameworks, findings supported links between family functioning and medical adherence. This study highlights several limitations of the extant research, including absence of a guiding theoretical framework and several methodological weaknesses. We offer clinical and research recommendations for enhancing scientific understanding and promotion of adherence within the family context.

Psychological Considerations in Pediatric Chronic Illness: Case Examples

Despite significant gains in survival rates for pediatric patients and adolescents/young adults (AYA) with chronic illness, patients in this vulnerable age group are also at an increased risk for developing one or more adverse effects related to their disease, treatment, or maladaptive health behaviors. Maladaptive health behaviors ultimately increase the risk for developing adverse effects, including: increased rates of morbidity and mortality, impaired physical functioning, increased fatigue, obesity, increased psychological distress, and poor quality of life. With close attention including participation in preventive and therapeutic health promotion interventions, problematic health behaviors can be mitigated and ultimately prevented over time. It is well known that improved psychological functioning and adaptive coping can result in improved health status. The present paper provides four case examples illustrating various psychological interventions in pediatric chronic illness. As evidenced in the four case examples, pediatric psychologists provide comprehensive interventions for patients with acute and chronic medical conditions through the use of health promotion interventions, adherence and self-management promotion, cognitive behavioral therapy, behavioral therapy, medical coping, parent training, and motivational interviewing. Our case series demonstrates that for the most impactful behavior change to occur, a combination of interventions is often the most effective.

They just don't take their medicines: Reframing medication adherence in asthma from frustration to opportunity

Assessing and addressing suboptimal adherence to asthma medications is a key component in the treatment of all children with asthma, particularly those with difficult-to-treat asthma. However, parents often overreport adherence to asthma medications. Increased medication adherence could lead to improved outcomes in the form of better asthma control and decreased asthma exacerbations, as well as decreased healthcare utilization costs. Yet there are many complex factors that affect medication adherence, and barriers are often different in each family. Social determinants of health, complex healthcare relationships, and patient-related factors may all affect medication adherence. Multicomponent patient-centered strategies, as well as strategies that utilize technology and habit formation strategies may be helpful in improving medication adherence. Further study is needed to reliably and sustainably improve medication adherence in children with asthma across the broader population; in some populations, alternate diagnoses, adjusting therapy, and other intervention may be required to improve asthma control and health.

Family Functioning, Medical Self-Management, and Health Outcomes Among School-Aged Children With Sickle Cell Disease: A Mediation Model

Background

Informed by the Pediatric Self-Management Model, the present study tested relationships between parent and family functioning, sickle cell disease (SCD) self-management, and health outcomes for children with SCD.

Method

83 children with SCD and a parent completed baseline data as part of a larger investigation of a family-based, problem-solving intervention for children with SCD (M age = 8.47). Youth and parents completed a measure of child health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and parents completed measures of family efficacy, parenting stress, and SCD self-management. SCD pain episodes and urgent health utilization information over the past year were obtained via medical chart review.

Results

SCD self-management mediated the relationship between parent-reported family efficacy and parent proxy HRQOL, as well as the relationship between parenting stress and child and parent proxy HRQOL. Mediation models were nonsignificant for outcomes beyond HRQOL, including SCD pain episodes and urgent health utilization.

Conclusion

Fostering family efficacy and reducing parenting stress may be meaningful intervention targets for improving SCD self-management and child HRQOL among school-aged children. Although findings were consistent with the Pediatric Self-Management Model in terms of HRQOL, the model was not supported for pain episodes or urgent health utilization, highlighting the need for multi-method, longitudinal research on the SCD self-management behaviors that are linked to preventable health outcomes.

Text Message Responsivity in a 2-Way Short Message Service Pilot Intervention With Adolescent and Young Adult Survivors of Cancer

OBJECTIVE

Within a 2-way text messaging study in AYAs who recently completed treatment for cancer, we sought to evaluate text message responsivity across different types of text messages.

METHODS

AYAs who recently completed treatment for cancer (n=26; mean age=16 years; 62% female, 16/26 participants) received 2-way text messages about survivorship health topics over a 16-week period. Using participants' text message log data, we coded responsivity to text messages and evaluated trends in responsivity to unprompted text messages and prompted text messages of varying content (eg, medication reminders, appointment reminders, and texts about personal experiences as a cancer survivor).

RESULTS

Across prompted and unprompted text messages, responsivity rapidly decreased (P ≤.001 and =.01, respectively) and plateaued by the third week of the intervention. However, participants were more responsive to prompted text messages (mean responsivity=46% by week 16) than unprompted messages (mean responsivity=10% by week 16). They also demonstrated stable responsivity to certain prompted content: medication reminders, appointment reminders, goal motivation, goal progress, and patient experience texts.

CONCLUSIONS

Our methodology of evaluating text message responsivity revealed important patterns of engagement in a 2-way text message intervention for AYA cancer survivors.

Interventions on Adherence to Treatment in Children With Severe Asthma: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Poor adherence to inhaled medication is a commonly encountered problem among children with asthma. However, there is a relatively paucity of data regarding the adherence of children with severe asthma, as well as the merit of any interventions to improve this adherence. Objectives: The aim of this systematic review was to identify the available literature on the rate of adherence and the influence of interventions in improving adherence to controller inhaled medication, in children with severe asthma. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed in MEDLINE/PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Scopus databases. Studies were included in the present review if their target population were children and/or adolescents with severe asthma and presented data on medication adherence before and after a given intervention. Results: A total of seven studies, conducted in USA, Canada, and UK, and published between 2012 and 2018, met the inclusion criteria. Adherence to controller medication was assessed via either objective or subjective measures (questionnaires), or a combination of them. Interventions included communication during pediatric visits and audio-taped medical visits, individualized care programs, electronic monitoring devices, interactive website and peak-flow prediction with feedback. Adherence rates for the baseline (before intervention) or for the control groups ranged from 28 to 67%. In general, there was a significant improvement of adherence after intervention with rates increasing to 49-81%. Conclusion: Adherence rate in children with severe asthma is not satisfactory but it can be improved after proper interventions. Nevertheless, the heterogeneity among adherence assessment tools, and the variety of interventions, in combination with the lack of studies focusing on severe asthma, highlight the need for further research in this field.

Managing problematic severe asthma: beyond the guidelines

This review discusses issues related to managing problematic severe asthma in children and young people. A small minority of children have genuinely severe asthma symptoms which are difficult to control. Children with genuinely severe asthma need investigations and treatments beyond those described within conventional guidelines. However, the majority of children with poor symptom control despite high-intensity treatment achieve improvement in their asthma control once attention has been paid to the basics of asthma management. Basic asthma management requires optimisation of inhaler technique and treatment adherence, avoidance of environmental triggers and self-management education. It is also important that clinicians recognise risk factors that predispose patients to asthma exacerbations and potentially life-threatening attacks. These correctable issues need to be tackled in partnership with children and young people and their families. This requires a coordinated approach between professionals across healthcare settings. Establishing appropriate infrastructure for coordinated asthma care benefits not only those with problematic severe asthma, but also the wider asthma population as similar correctable issues exist for children with asthma of all severities. Investigation and management of genuine severe asthma requires specialist multidisciplinary expertise and a systematic approach to characterising patients' asthma phenotypes and delivering individualised care. While inhaled corticosteroids continue to play a leading role in asthma therapy, new treatments on the horizon might further support phenotype-specific therapy.

Using Home-Program Adherence App in Pediatric Therapy: Case Study of Sensory Processing Disorder

BACKGROUND

Pediatric therapies adopt a family-centered approach that encourages a caregiver's involvement in therapy. Contextual interventions in the child's natural environment have been effective in generalization of skills and increasing of child participation in daily activities. The use of home programs is common across a variety of conditions, but adherence has been challenging. Apps have been demonstrated to promote medication adherence and physical activity maintenance.

INTRODUCTION

This study suggested and tested a construct for features required for caregivers' behavioral modification during home programs in pediatric therapy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

SensoryTreat is an adherence promoting app for home-program treatments of children with sensory processing disorders. The app was evaluated by testing availability of desired features, usage frequency, impact on adherence with home programs, and parental sense of competence.

RESULTS

Results suggest a strong significant correlation between SensoryTreat usage frequency and families' adherence with home programs, as well as a strong significant correlation between relevancy and usefulness of SensoryTreat's interventional content, and parental competence and their adherence with home programs.

DISCUSSION

Using SensoryTreat twice or more per week increases parental adherence with home programs. Content plays an important role in promoting adherence and parental sense of competence, yet, as usage frequency grows the interventional content habituates, and other features as goal setting and feedback logs have significant impact on parental competence and adherence with home programs over time.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings indicate that the content and features of SensoryTreat app have the potential to promote adherence of families with pediatric therapy home programs.

Multidisciplinary interventions in the management of atopic dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most common pediatric skin disease. AD has a significant effect on patient and family quality of life caused by intense pruritus, sleep disruption, dietary and nutritional concerns, and psychological stress associated with the disease and its management. Multidisciplinary approaches to AD care have been developed in appreciation of the complex interplay among biological, psychological, behavioral, and dietary factors that affect disease control and the wide range of knowledge, skills, and support that patients and families require to effectively manage and cope with this condition. Common components of multidisciplinary treatment approaches include medical evaluation and management by an AD specialist, education and nursing care, psychological and behavioral support, and nutritional assessment and guidance. Models of care include both clinical programs and structured educational groups provided as adjuncts to standard clinical care. Available evidence suggests beneficial effects of multidisciplinary interventions in improving disease severity and quality of life, particularly for patients with moderate-to-severe disease. Additional research is needed to identify the best candidates for the various multidisciplinary approaches and evaluate the cost-effectiveness of these programs.

Non-adherence in children with asthma reviewed: The need for improvement of asthma care and medical education

Adherence to daily inhaled corticosteroid therapy is a key determinant of asthma control. Therefore, improving adherence to inhaled corticosteroids is the most effective method through which healthcare providers can help children with uncontrolled asthma. However, identifying non-adherent patients is difficult, and electronic monitoring is the only reliable method to assess adherence. (Non-)adherence is a complex behavioural process influenced by many interacting factors. Intentional barriers to adherence are common; driven by illness perceptions and medication beliefs, patients and parents deliberately choose not to follow the doctor's recommendations. Common non-intentional barriers are related to family routines, child-raising issues, and to social issues such as poverty. Effective interventions improving adherence are complex, because they take intentional and non-intentional barriers to adherence into account. There is evidence that comprehensive, guideline-based asthma self-management programmes can be successful, with excellent adherence and good asthma control. Patient-centred care focused on healthcare provider-patient/parent collaboration is the key factor determining the success of guided self-management programmes. Such care should focus on shared decision-making as this has been shown to improve adherence and healthcare outcomes. Current asthma care falls short because many physicians fail to adhere to asthma guidelines in their diagnostic approach and therapeutic prescriptions, and because of the lack of application of patient-centred health care. Increased awareness of the importance of patient-centred communication and increased training in patient-centred communication skills of undergraduates and experienced attending physicians are needed to improve adherence to daily controller therapy and asthma control in children with asthma.

Psoriasis in childhood: effective strategies to improve treatment adherence

Psoriasis is a relatively common chronic inflammatory skin disease in children for which there is no cure. Most children have mild disease that can be managed with topical therapy as opposed to phototherapy or systemic therapy. Despite the mild presentation of psoriasis in most children, the disease can have a significant impact on quality of life due to the need for ongoing treatment, the frequently visible nature of the cutaneous manifestations, and the social stigma that is associated with psoriasis. Adherence to treatment, in particular topical therapy, is often poor in adults and compromises response to therapy and medical provider management strategies. Multiple factors that may contribute to nonadherence in adults with psoriasis have been identified, including lack of education on the disease and expectations for management, issues related to ease of use and acceptability of topical medications, and anxiety regarding possible medication side effects. There is currently no published data on adherence in the pediatric psoriasis population; however, poor adherence is often suspected when patients fail to respond to appropriate therapy. General strategies used to assess adherence in other pediatric disease populations can be applied to children with psoriasis, and interventions that reflect experience in other chronic dermatologic disorders such as atopic dermatitis may also be helpful for medical providers caring for children with psoriasis.