Parent/carer Intended Non-Adherence to their Child’s Medication Regime
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Parent/carer Intended Non-Adherence to their Child’s Medication Regimen
IRAS ID
234261
Contact name
Jeff Aston
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Aston University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 25 days
Research summary
Adherence to long-term therapy for chronic illness in developed countries averages 50% with many patients experiencing difficulty in following treatment recommendations. The subsequent consequences of non-adherence include poor health outcomes.
There are two overlapping categories of non-adherence to medication –unintentional and intentional. Unintentional non-adherence occurs when a patient wishes to follow the agreed treatment regimen but is prevented from doing so by barriers beyond their control. Examples include poor recall or difficulties understanding the instructions or problems using the treatment. Intentional non-adherence refers to when a patient decides not to follow the treatment recommendations. This decision is influenced by a person’s beliefs and preferences that impact on their motivation to start and continue with treatment. The optimal strategies for improving medication adherence are unknown.
This study has been developed to determine the decisions that parents/carers are making about their child’s medication resulting in intended non-adherence to the prescribed regimen.
A random sample of two hundred parents with children receiving regular medication home deliveries through Birmingham Children’s Hospital Pharmacy Homecare team will be selected. Each will receive an invitation, questionnaire and pre-paid return envelope posted to their home address. The questionnaire will explore their decision to start their child’s medication including the rationale behind any delay or decision not to administer their child’s medication. They will also be asked about intended dose omissions, temporary cessation of treatment and dose adjustments including why these were made. The influence of participants’ daily lives on medication changes will be explored along with the effect of child resistance to medication taking. Demographic/background information on patient age and medication being taken are to be requested. Non-responders will receive a single repeat mailing two weeks following the original return by date.The data will be analysed using standard software (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) for questionnaire analysis.
REC name
East of England - Cambridge East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/EE/0011
Date of REC Opinion
7 Feb 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion