Improve medication adherence in service users diagnosed with dementia
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Improve medication adherence in service users diagnosed with dementia
IRAS ID
297888
Contact name
Sheena Joseph
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Sheffield Hallam University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
Medication adherence poses a major barrier to achieve the intended health outcomes, particularly in individuals with dementia. In the UK approximately two-thirds of people with dementia live in private households and one-third in some form of institutional care setting. Patients with dementia and long-term conditions face unique challenges with medication management. Depending on the nature of the underlying medical conditions and individual’s personal health-beliefs, it is estimated that rates of medication non-adherence ranges from 30-60%, with non-adherence rate being highest, when the patients have cognitive impairment and chronic conditions (Alzheimer’s Society 2015). With poor health outcomes and an exponential waste of NHS resources, it is a national priority to address the underlying issues of non-adherence. Medication non-adherence is multifactorial, and it is increasingly being, identified that patients with cognitive impairment or dementia are more likely to adhere poorly to their medications compared to individuals without dementia/cognitive problems (Wong.et.al, 2014).
The burden of medication adherence in people with chronic conditions much more complex than people with dementia alone due to polypharmacy, cognitive impairment, lack of adequate care facilities and depressive illness, which are much more prevalent in people with chronic conditions compared to people with a single medical condition (Dhalwani et.al2016).With an ever-increasing pressure on NHS resources, implementing innovative and evidence –based intervention to improve medication adherence is vital. Taking medications as prescribed (medication adherence) is considered to be one of the key components of this empowering and enabling process.
This PhD study will offer an original contribution by identifying reasons for non-adherence facilitates a clear strategy to address these issues, which can be described as a tailored intervention. For the purpose of the proposed research question the researcher has chosen to carry out a qualitative research design to explore adherence behaviour in dementia patients and to identify determinants (barriers and facilitators) to target for intervention. The findings of this study will be informed both policy makers and health care system by contributing new evidence to enable individuals, teams and organisations to maximise the awareness and impact in relation to poor medication adherence.REC name
London - Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/LO/0209
Date of REC Opinion
21 Apr 2022
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion