Independent predictors of medication adherence among Singaporean patients following an ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the independent predictors of medication adherence among Singaporean patients following an ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack. BACKGROUND: Secondary prevention of stroke includes optimal control over modifiable risk factors, and medication adherence is important in controlling the effect of comorbidities. However, there is a paucity of published literature on the topics of medication adherence among stroke patients, especially in the Asian population. DESIGN: A cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational study. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-one patients with ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack were recruited from a tertiary hospital in Singapore. Data collection included the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-8 (MMAS-8), General Self-Efficacy Survey (GSES) and Medical Outcome Study Social Support Survey. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to evaluate predictors of medication adherence, measured by MMAS-8. RESULTS: The mean score of the MMAS-8 was 5.07 (SD = 2.20, range 0-8), and more than 80% of the participants had low (n = 65, 53.7%) or medium (n = 34, 28.1%) levels of medication adherence. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that two factors, namely "understanding the benefits of medications" (ß = 0.238, p = .010) and "having suffered from stroke twice or more" (ß = 0.235, p = .014), were identified as independent predictors of medication adherence in stroke patients while the other variables were adjusted. These two factors accounted for 12.4% of the variance. CONCLUSION: Medication adherence was poor in Singaporean patients following an ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack. The independent predictors identified in this study will support healthcare professionals to develop tailored intervention to improve medication adherence among this group of patients. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Nurses play an important role in promoting patients' medication adherence. Helping stroke patients understand the long-term benefits of their medications is essential to enhance patients' medication adherence and results in better health outcomes.

Assessment of pain management among nurses using the knowledge and attitude survey regarding pain tool.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of pain among cancer patients vary in the cancer trajectory and nurses will encounter patients with cancers who may experience pain. Nurses routinely need to assess and manage pain to deliver quality care. AIM AND METHOD: The study aims to understand the knowledge and attitudes of nurses towards pain management using the self-administered questionnaire-the Knowledge and Attitude Survey Regarding Pain (KASRP). FINDINGS: Some 80 nurses participated in the study with an average overall KASRP score of 56%. Areas that were poorly answered are related to the knowledge about opioids, assessment of pain and management of pain in different scenarios. Factors like nurse-patient relationships and being unfamiliar with opioids may affect the knowledge and attitude of nurses towards pain management. CONCLUSION: Curriculum on pain management needs to consider strategies to help nurses translate knowledge to bedside clinical teaching. It needs to include facts of pain management, and topics regarding self-awareness and clarifying misconceptions.