A survey on the implementation of clinical medication reviews in community pharmacies within a multidisciplinary setting.

BACKGROUND: Polypharmacy is common in chronic medication users, which increases the risk of drug related problems. A suitable intervention is the clinical medication review (CMR) that was introduced in the Netherlands in 2012, but the effectiveness might be hindered by limited implementation in community pharmacies. Therefore our aim was to describe the current implementation of CMRs in Dutch community pharmacies and to identify barriers to the implementation. METHODS: An online questionnaire was developed based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and consisted of 58 questions with open ended, multiple choice or Likert-scale answering options. It was sent out to all Dutch community pharmacies (n = 1,953) in January 2021. Descriptive statistics were used. RESULTS: A total of 289 (14.8%) community pharmacies filled out the questionnaire. Most of the pharmacists agreed that a CMR has a positive effect on the quality of pharmacotherapy (91.3%) and on medication adherence (64.3%). Pharmacists structured CMRs according to available selection criteria or guidelines (92%). Pharmacists (90%) believed that jointly conducting a CMR with a general practitioner (GP) improved their mutual relationship, whereas 21% believed it improved the relationship with a medical specialist. Lack of time was reported by 43% of pharmacists and 80% (fully) agreed conducting CMRs with a medical specialist was complicated. Most pharmacists indicated that pharmacy technicians can assist in performing CMRs, but they rarely do in practice. CONCLUSIONS: Lack of time and suboptimal collaboration with medical specialists are the most important barriers to the implementation of CMRs.

Determinants of antiretroviral therapy adherence among transgender women in South Africa.

BACKGROUND:  Transgender women bear a huge burden of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in South Africa. However, they are not fully engaged in healthcare across the HIV continuum of care. In addition, transgender women face multiple facets of stigma and discrimination as well as socio-economic inequalities, which all have a negative impact on antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence. OBJECTIVE:  The study aimed at exploring and describing the experiences of ART adherence of transgender women living with HIV in the Buffalo City Metro Municipality. METHODS:  The study employed an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) design. Twelve participants were enrolled using a snowballing sampling technique. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analysed using an IPA framework. RESULTS:  While exploring determinants to ART adherence among transgender women living with HIV in Buffalo City Metro, two superordinate themes emerged: enablers to ART adherence and psychosocial factors promoting adherence. The study found that factors such as differentiated ART service delivery, ARV medicines-related factors, motivators for taking treatment and support systems facilitated ART adherence. CONCLUSION:  Emerging from this study is the need to scale up differentiated, person-centred ART service deliveries that will enhance access and adherence to treatment for transgender women.Contribution: This study provides unique insights on factors enhancing ART adherence among transgender women. There is a paucity of literature on access to HIV care services for key and vulnerable populations, and these findings will be shared in the country and in the region.

Preexisting Diabetes and Breast Cancer Treatment Among Low-Income Women.

IMPORTANCE: Diabetes is associated with poorer prognosis of patients with breast cancer. The association between diabetes and adjuvant therapies for breast cancer remains uncertain. OBJECTIVE: To comprehensively examine the associations of preexisting diabetes with radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and endocrine therapy in low-income women with breast cancer. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This population-based cohort study included women younger than 65 years diagnosed with nonmetastatic breast cancer from 2007 through 2015, followed up through 2016, continuously enrolled in Medicaid, and identified from the linked Missouri Cancer Registry and Medicaid claims data set. Data were analyzed from January 2022 to October 2023. EXPOSURE: Preexisting diabetes. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) of utilization (yes/no), timely initiation (≤90 days postsurgery), and completion of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, as well as adherence (medication possession ratio ≥80%) and persistence (<90-consecutive day gap) of endocrine therapy in the first year of treatment for women with diabetes compared with women without diabetes. Analyses were adjusted for sociodemographic and tumor factors. RESULTS: Among 3704 women undergoing definitive surgery, the mean (SD) age was 51.4 (8.6) years, 1038 (28.1%) were non-Hispanic Black, 2598 (70.1%) were non-Hispanic White, 765 (20.7%) had a diabetes history, 2369 (64.0%) received radiotherapy, 2237 (60.4%) had chemotherapy, and 2505 (67.6%) took endocrine therapy. Compared with women without diabetes, women with diabetes were less likely to utilize radiotherapy (OR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.53-0.86), receive chemotherapy (OR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.48-0.93), complete chemotherapy (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.50-0.99), and be adherent to endocrine therapy (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.56-0.91). There were no significant associations of diabetes with utilization (OR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.71-1.28) and persistence (OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.88-1.36) of endocrine therapy, timely initiation of radiotherapy (OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.86-1.38) and chemotherapy (OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.77-1.55), or completion of radiotherapy (OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 0.91-1.71). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this cohort study, preexisting diabetes was associated with subpar adjuvant therapies for breast cancer among low-income women. Improving diabetes management during cancer treatment is particularly important for low-income women with breast cancer who may have been disproportionately affected by diabetes and are likely to experience disparities in cancer treatment and outcomes.

Adherence to low-dose methotrexate in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis using a sensitive methotrexate assay.

BACKGROUND: Low-dose weekly methotrexate (MTX) is the mainstay of treatment in juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Unfortunately, a substantial part of patients has insufficient efficacy of MTX. A potential cause of this inadequate response is suboptimal drug adherence. The aim of this study was to assess MTX adherence in juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients by quantification of MTX concentrations in plasma. Secondly, the association between MTX concentrations and either self-reported adherence issues, or concomitant use of biologics was examined. METHODS: This was a retrospective, observational study using plasma samples from juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients. An ultrasensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for quantification of MTX and its metabolite 7-hydroxy-MTX in plasma. The determined MTX plasma concentrations in juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients were compared with corresponding adherence limits, categorising them as either adherent or possibly non-adherent to MTX therapy. RESULTS: Plasma samples of 43 patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis were analysed. Adherence to MTX in this population was 88% shortly after initiation of MTX therapy and decreased to 77% after one year of treatment. Teenagers were more at risk for non-adherence (p = 0.002). We could not find an association between MTX adherence with either self-reported adherence issues, nor with the use of concomitant biological treatment (p = 1.00 and p = 0.27, respectively; Fisher's Exact). CONCLUSIONS: Quantification of MTX in plasma is a feasible and objective method to assess adherence in patients using low-dose weekly MTX. In clinical practice, the use of this method could be a helpful tool for physicians to refute or support suspicion of non-adherence to MTX therapy.

Usability and feasibility of the Test of Adherence to Inhalers (TAI) Toolkit in daily clinical practice: The BANANA study.

The Test of Adherence to Inhalers (TAI) Toolkit links an adherence measurement instrument (the TAI) to proven effective interventions for different causes of non-adherence to inhaled medication. This study aimed to assess the usability and feasibility of the TAI Toolkit in clinical practice. The TAI Toolkit was piloted in eight primary and secondary care settings. Each study site included 10 patients with asthma and/or COPD and suspected non-adherence. Healthcare professionals (HCPs) recorded clinical data and TAI Toolkit outcomes. Data on usability and feasibility were collected in semi-structured interviews and with the System Usability Score (SUS). Of the included patients, 81% were non-adherent, and sporadic non-adherence was the most common (69%). The TAI Toolkit was valued with a mean SUS-score of 85.9 by the HCPs. They found the toolkit to 'be visually attractive', 'easy-to-use' and 'give insight into patients' adherence', thereby offering good potential for its use in clinical practice.

Adherence to Psoriasis Therapies.

Understanding the underlying causes of nonadherence among patients with psoriasis and adopting strategies to address these issues may allow providers to share responsibility and work alongside patients to overcome these barriers. The review explores patient adherence to different types of psoriasis treatment, suggestions for interventions to overcome barriers, and methods to promote adherence that have been published in the literature.

Real-world use, perception, satisfaction, and adherence of calcipotriol and betamethasone dipropionate PAD-cream in patients with plaque psoriasis in Spain and Germany: results from a cross-sectional, online survey.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis significantly impacts patients' quality of life (QoL). Dissatisfaction and non-adherence are major barriers associated with topical treatments. A cream based on the polyaphron dispersion (PAD) Technology containing a fixed-dose of calcipotriol (CAL) and betamethasone dipropionate (BDP) was designed for a patient-friendly psoriasis management. The CAL/BDP PAD-cream demonstrated efficacy, convenience, and safety/tolerability in clinical trials. OBJECTIVES: This research assesses the real-world use, perception, satisfaction, and adherence of CAL/BDP PAD-cream among plaque psoriasis patients. METHODS: Between September-November 2023, psoriasis patients from Spain and Germany using or having used CAL/BDP PAD-cream for >2 weeks were recruited via Wefight network to complete a 30-questions online survey. Anonymized results were pooled for descriptive statistical analysis. RESULTS: The survey was completed by 129 patients (mean age: 43 years; 66% females; mean psoriasis duration: 12 years). Most patients (93%) were satisfied with CAL/BDP PAD-cream. The 66% reported high adherence (visual analogue scale 80-100) and 91% preferred CAL/BDP PAD-cream to their previous topical(s). Patients highlighted its ease/convenience of application, tolerability, and lack of itching/burning. CONCLUSIONS: Psoriasis patients treated with CAL/BDP PAD-cream in a real-world setting show high satisfaction, good adherence, and a positive perception of the product, suggesting that favorable outcomes observed in clinical trials translate to real clinical practice.

Urinary methotrexate dosage in rheumatoid arthritis, in patients treated for at least 6 months: a potential marker of adherence.

OBJECTIVES: Non-adherence to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatments must be identified. A methotrexate (MTX) urinary dosage (METU) was recently developed. The aim of our study was to assess adherence to MTX in RA using METU in real-life conditions and to compare it with indirect adherence measurement technics. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study at Reims University Hospital. We included over 18-year-old patients with RA treated by MTX for more than 6 months. Patients were invited to complete demographic, clinical and psychological questionnaires and adherence measurement technics (Compliance Questionnaire of Rheumatology (CQR) and Medication Possession Ratio (MPR)). A urinary sample was collected to measure MTX and information about tolerance was evaluated through Methotrexate Intolerance Severity Score. RESULTS: 84 patients were included, 26 using oral MTX, 58 subcutaneous (SC) MTX. Among them, 73% were female, mean age was 61.5 years, MTX mean dose was 15 mg/week and 61.9% were treated by biological DMARDs (Disease Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs). 77 patients (91.7%) were adherent to treatment according to METU, whereas MPR and CQR reported less adherence (69.5% and 61.9%, respectively). MPR and METU were not significantly different in SC MTX users (p=0.059). Non-adherent patients had a higher number of tender joints and C reactive protein value (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: This is the first largest study evaluating MTX adherence in patients with RA using a urinary dosage. We identified that indirect adherence measurements did not reflect real-life adherence. It would be appreciable to realise METU, in a new study, in patients with RA with unexplained response to treatment, to consider it before escalating therapeutic strategy.

ADHERENCE AND PERSISTENCE TO TREATMENT WITH INFLIXIMAB: ANALYSIS OF A PATIENT SUPPORT PROGRAM COHORT IN BRAZIL.

BACKGROUND: Monoclonal antibodies have proven efficacy in the management of several conditions and infliximab (IFX) is one of the most important drugs of the class. Some recent data have shown low rates of both persistence and adherence to several available biologics. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to describe adherence and persistence rate to IFX treatment and also persistence in the patient support program (PSP), among patients diagnosed with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) or rheumatic diseases (RD) enrolled in the program of a large pharmaceutical company in Brazil. METHODS: Retrospective observational analysis using the PSP database. IBD or RD patients using IFX enrolled on the PSP database between September 2015 and August 2019 were retrospectively evaluated to identify the persistence rate and adherence and followed up until March 1, 2020. Patients were excluded if treatment start date was prior to program entry; first infusion prior to September 1st, 2015 or after August 31st, 2019; the patients did not started treatment; and patients with "OTHERS" in "Indication" field. Persistence was assessed considering both persistence in the program ("PSP persistence") and persistence on IFX in the PSP ("IFX persistence in the PSP"). PSP persistence was defined as the proportion of patients remaining in the program at 6, 12, 24, 36 and 48 months after initiating IFX. To determine IFX persistence in the PSP, censoring was defined at the time the patient left the program, died, or was lost to follow-up. Adherence to treatment was measured by medication possession ratio ((MPR) - All days supply / elapsed days from first prescription to last day of medication possession)). Descriptive statistics were initially used. Kaplan-Meier curve, the median time estimated by the survival function, Cox regression model, and restricted mean survival time (RMST) were used to evaluate the treatment persistence time at 24 months and the logistic regression model was performed aiming to identify variables associated with adherence (MPR ≥80%). RESULTS: A total of 10,233 patients were analyzed, 5,826 (56.9%) with the diagnosis of RD and 4,407 (43.1%) of IBD. At the end of the follow-up (median 9.1 months from PSP entry to the last infusion), persistence in the PSP was 65.6%, 48.2%, 31.0%, 20.7% and 13.1% at 6, 12, 24, 36 and 48 months, respectively. Considering persistence on IFX in the PSP, estimates were 93.7%, 87.8%, 77.0%, 62.4% and 53.0% at 6, 12, 24, 36 and 48 months, respectively. Variables associated with the risk of non-persistence were gender, country region and diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. Median MPR was 94.2%, while the percentage of patients with MPR ≥80% was 91.0%. Variables associated with MPR≥80% were country region and diagnosis of Crohn's disease. CONCLUSION: Many patients leave the program without discontinuing IFX, since the 12-month persistence were very different between program and medication estimates, while high adherence rates were observed among patients enrolled in the PSP. Data highlights the benefits of a PSP.

Enhancing medication management in hemodialysis patients: Exploring the impact of patient-centered pharmacist care and motivational interviewing.

BACKGROUND: Patients on hemodialysis (HD) often uses several medications, making them highly susceptible to medication-related problems (MRP) thereby leading to medication nonadherence. Therefore, an innovative pharmaceutical care strategy incorporating drug therapy optimization (DTO) and motivational interviewing (MI) can mitigate medication-related problems and optimize patient care. AIMS AND OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to assess the efficacy of pharmacist led interventions in utilizing DTO and MI techniques in managing medication related problems among patients undergoing hemodialysis. METHOD AND DESIGN: A12-months, cross sectional prospective study was conducted among 63 End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients on HD. DTO was conducted by the pharmacist to identify the MRP by reviewing complete medication list gathered from patient interview and medical records. All MRPs was classified using the PCNE classification version 9.00 and medication issues, that require patient involvement were categorized as patient-related, while those that necessitate physician intervention were classified as physician-related. The DTO was performed at the baseline, 6-month and at the final month of the study. Identified medication issues were communicated to the site nephrologist and was tracked during next follow up. Whereas MI was conducted physically at Month-3 and via telephone on month-6 and month-9 to address patient related medication issues. RESULTS: Mean age of the study population was 48.5±14 years. While the mean number of prescribed medications was 8.1±2 with 57% of the patients taking more than 5 types of medication. After 12 months of pharmacist intervention using DTO and MI, a mean reduction in MRP was observed for both patient-related and physician-related MRPs across three time series. However, further analysis using repeated measure ANOVA revealed that the reduction in patient-related MRPs was statistically significant [F(1.491, 92.412) = 60.921, p < 0.05], while no statistically significant difference was detected in physician-related MRPs [F(2, 124) = 2.216, P = 0.113]. CONCLUSION: Pharmaceutical care service through DTO and MI can effectively reduce and prevent drug-related issues to optimize medication therapy among HD patients.

Adherence with statins and all-cause mortality in days with high temperature.

PURPOSE: It has been suggested that statins may exert thermo-protective effects that can reduce mortality on hot days. We aimed to examine the relationship between statin adherence and mortality in days with high temperature. METHODS: Utilizing data from a prior historical new-user cohort study, we analyzed a cohort of 229 918 individuals within a state-mandated health provider in Israel who initiated statin therapy between 1998 and 2006. Adherence to statins was assessed through the mean proportion of days covered (PDC) with statins during the follow-up period. The study's primary outcome was all-cause mortality during hot days. RESULTS: During the study follow-up period, a total of 13 165 individuals (5.7%) died. In a multivariable model, a 10% increase in PDC with statins was associated with an HR of (0.85; 95% CI: 0.72-1.00) for deaths (n = 16) in extremely hot days (≥39°C). This association was numerically stronger compared to HR = 0.94 (0.93-0.94) in cooler days and displayed a significant difference between sexes. In males, the fully-adjusted HR for a 10% increase in PDC with statins was 0.66 (0.45-0.95), while in women, it was 0.98 (0.78-1.23). In contrast, no such effect modification was observed for death in cooler days. CONCLUSIONS: These findings align with earlier research, supporting the notion that adherence with statin treatment may be associated with a reduced risk of death during extremely hot days, particularly among men.

Evaluating MediBetter: A Mobile Application for Health Monitoring and Medication Management.

This study introduces MediBetter, a mobile application designed to empower patients undergoing routine medication in health monitoring and medication adherence. It is a mobile application designed to serve as a supportive health technology for patients to monitor their health status and manage their routine medication. It offers three main features: text-based daily self health report, AI-based summarization of the health report, and medication taking reminder. To evaluate the quality of generated summaries generated by both the user and AI (ChatGPT), we conducted human expert evaluation process. Furthermore, we also evaluated the usefulness of existing features in the app. The experiment results show that ChatGPT-generated summaries outperformed user-generated ones, demonstrating superior informativeness, coherence, fluency, consistency, and contradiction handling. Participants found the app's features highly useful for health monitoring and medication adherence, with strong agreement on their utility.

Strategies aiming to improve statin therapy adherence in older adults: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Randomized clinical trials have shown that, under optimal conditions, statins reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in older adults. Given the prevalence and consequences of suboptimal adherence to statin among older adults, it is essential to document strategies designed to increase statin adherence in this population. The objective of this systematic review is to describe and summarize the effectiveness of interventions to improve statin adherence in older adults (≥ 65 years old). METHODS: This review followed PRISMA guidelines. Studies were identified from PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, CINAHL and Web of Science. Study selection was conducted independently by four reviewers working in pairs. Included studies reported data on interventions designed to increase adherence to statin therapy in older adults and were original trials or observational studies. Interventions were pragmatically regrouped into 8 different categories going from patient to administrative level. Two reviewers extracted study data and assessed study quality independently. Given the heterogeneity between the included studies, a narrative critique and summary was conducted. RESULTS: Twelve out of the 2889 identified articles were included in the review. Our review showed that simplifying patients' drug regimen, administrative improvements and large-scale pharmacy-led automated telephone interventions show positive effects on patient adherence to statin therapy, with odds ratios between > 1.0 and 3.0, while education-based strategies and intensified patient care showed mixed results. CONCLUSIONS: Current evidence suggests that some interventions can increase statin adherence in older adults, which could help in the reduction of the risk of a cardiovascular event in this population.

Longitudinal Trajectories of Antiretroviral Treatment Adherence and Associations With Durable Viral Suppression Among Adolescents Living With HIV in South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Compared with other age groups, adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) are estimated to have lower levels of adherence to antiretroviral treatment. Despite this, we lack evidence on adolescents' adherence patterns over time to inform the customization of intervention strategies. SETTING: Eastern Cape province, South Africa. METHODS: We analyzed data from a cohort of ALHIV (N = 1046, aged 10-19 years at baseline) recruited from 53 public health facilities. The cohort comprised 3 waves of data collected between 2014 and 2018 and routine viral load data from the National Institute for Communicable Disease data warehouse (2014-2019). Durable viral suppression was defined as having suppressed viral load (<1000 copies/mL) at ≥2 consecutive study waves. Group-based multitrajectory model was used to identify adherence trajectories using 5 indicators of self-reported adherence. Logistic regression modeling evaluated the associations between adherence trajectories and durable viral suppression. RESULTS: Overall, 933 ALHIV (89.2%) completed all 3 study waves (55.1% female, mean age: 13.6 years at baseline). Four adherence trajectories were identified, namely, "consistent adherence" (49.8%), "low start and increasing" (20.8%), "gradually decreasing" (23.5%), and "low and decreasing" (5.9%). Adolescents experiencing inconsistent adherence trajectories were more likely to be older, live in rural areas, and have sexually acquired HIV. Compared with the consistent adherence trajectory, the odds of durable viral suppression were lower among adolescents in the low start and increasing (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.41 to 0.95), gradually decreasing (aOR: 0.40, 95% CI: 0.27 to 0.59), and the low and decreasing adherence (aOR: 0.25, 95% CI: 0.10 to 0.62) trajectories. CONCLUSIONS: Adherence to antiretroviral treatment remains a challenge among ALHIV in South Africa. Identifying adolescents at risk of nonadherence, based on their adherence trajectories may inform the tailoring of adolescent-friendly support strategies.

Investigating the association between medication regimen complexity, medication adherence and treatment satisfaction among Malaysian older adult patients: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of medication nonadherence among Malaysian older adults is approximately 60%. However, there is a lack of studies assessing the factors associated with medication nonadherence among this population. This research aims to explore the association between medication regimen complexity (MRC), treatment satisfaction and medication adherence among Malaysian older adults. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted in outpatient clinics of a teaching hospital in Pahang, Malaysia, between April 2023 and September 2023. MRC Index (MRCI), Treatment Satisfaction for Medication version II (TSQM v.II), and the Malaysian Medication Adherence Assessment Tool (MyMAAT) were used. Multivariate linear and logistic regression models were performed to test the factors affecting treatment satisfaction and medication adherence. Mediator analysis was implemented to assess the mediating role of treatment satisfaction. RESULT: The study involved 429 Malaysian older adult patients, with a prevalence of nonadherence of 51.0% (n = 219) and an MRCI mean score of 17.37 (SD = 7.07). The mean overall treatment satisfaction score was 73.91 (SD = 15.23). Multivariate logistic regression analysis expressed four significant predictors associated with nonadherence: MRC (AOR = 1.179, p = 0.002), overall treatment satisfaction (AOR = 0.847, p < 0.001), partially self-managed medication (AOR = 2.675, p = 0.011) and fully managed medication by family members/caregivers (AOR = 8.436, p = 0.004). Multivariate linear regression shows three predictors of treatment satisfaction: MRC (ß = -1.395, p < 0.001), Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) (ß = -0.746, p = 0.009) and self-managed medication (ß = 5.554, p = 0.006). Mediator analysis indicated that treatment satisfaction partially mediated the association between MRC and nonadherence. CONCLUSION: Nonadherence was quite prevalent among Malaysian older outpatients and was associated with regimen complexity, treatment satisfaction and patient dependence on others to manage their medications. Future studies should focus on interventions to control the factors that negatively affect patients' medication adherence.

Short- and Long-Term Outcomes of Suboptimal Medication Adherence in Adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Literature Review.

Introduction: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition with severe and life-long consequences. Adolescents and young adults represent a particularly vulnerable subgroup because of the unique demands of their developmental stage. Despite the well-known efficacy of medication treatment for ADHD, there remains a notable concern regarding poor medication adherence in this population. Objectives: This systematic literature review aimed to synthesize the existing empirical evidence on the outcomes and consequences of medication nonadherence among adolescents and young adults with ADHD. Methods: An extensive database search was conducted on September 26, 2022, with no time limits applied. The databases included Scopus, PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane, and PsycINFO. Results: Six studies met the inclusion criteria. Each study revealed that medication nonadherence was associated with a range of adverse outcomes, including decreased academic performance, heightened familial, and psychological stress, and an increased likelihood of substance use, pregnancy, obesity, and injury. Conversely, adherence led to improvements in at least one ADHD-related outcome. Conclusions: Research exploring the consequences of suboptimal medication adherence in adolescents and young adults with ADHD is currently limited, and effective strategies to address this issue remain scarce. A thorough understanding of such consequences is critical for developing interventions aimed at improving medication adherence and mitigating the risk of adverse outcomes, especially considering the susceptibility of this population.

Patient medication management, understanding and adherence during the transition from hospital to outpatient care - a qualitative longitudinal study in polymorbid patients with type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Continuity of care is under great pressure during the transition from hospital to outpatient care. Medication changes during hospitalization may be poorly communicated and understood, compromising patient safety during the transition from hospital to home. The main aims of this study were to investigate the perspectives of patients with type 2 diabetes and multimorbidities on their medications from hospital discharge to outpatient care, and their healthcare journey through the outpatient healthcare system. In this article, we present the results focusing on patients' perspectives of their medications from hospital to two months after discharge. METHODS: Patients with type 2 diabetes, with at least two comorbidities and who returned home after discharge, were recruited during their hospitalization. A descriptive qualitative longitudinal research approach was adopted, with four in-depth semi-structured interviews per participant over a period of two months after discharge. Interviews were based on semi-structured guides, transcribed verbatim, and a thematic analysis was conducted. RESULTS: Twenty-one participants were included from October 2020 to July 2021. Seventy-five interviews were conducted. Three main themes were identified: (A) Medication management, (B) Medication understanding, and (C) Medication adherence, during three periods: (1) Hospitalization, (2) Care transition, and (3) Outpatient care. Participants had varying levels of need for medication information and involvement in medication management during hospitalization and in outpatient care. The transition from hospital to autonomous medication management was difficult for most participants, who quickly returned to their routines with some participants experiencing difficulties in medication adherence. CONCLUSIONS: The transition from hospital to outpatient care is a challenging process during which discharged patients are vulnerable and are willing to take steps to better manage, understand, and adhere to their medications. The resulting tension between patients' difficulties with their medications and lack of standardized healthcare support calls for interprofessional guidelines to better address patients' needs, increase their safety, and standardize physicians', pharmacists', and nurses' roles and responsibilities.