Medication Adherence

One common reason why persons with chronic health conditions do not take their medication is because they do not understand their own health condition or medication regimen. Clients with a knowledge deficit may benefit from tailored education. In this strategy, the interventionist can provide education specific to the clients area of need.

 

Persons who would benefit from spending some time discussing this strategy include people who had low scores on the Medication Knowledge Assessment (MKA) and/or the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ). A low score on the MKA would indicate that a person has a knowledge deficits regarding their medication purpose, side-effects, or dosing instructions. A low score on the first 10 questions of the BMQ would indicate that a client does not understand the importance or purpose of medications for chronic conditions. Additionally, a client may verbalize poor understanding in the occupational profile.

 

If a client presents with a knowledge deficit specific to their health condition or medication regimen, they may benefit from education tailored to their needs. Discussions may be associated with any of the following points…

• The purpose of a medication and why it is important

• Side effects of medication

• Dosing instructions specific to a medication 

• Basic information about a health condition including common symptoms and risks

 

There are many sources of medication education, but for this intervention study we are exclusively using the MedlinePlus database. MedlinePlus is a database supported b the National Library of Medicine. The database has free, up-to-date, reliable health information geared towards clients. Prior to an intervention, you may go to the MedlinePlus database to find information on the client's health condition and medications. You may print the information out and give it to the client if you think it would be helpful.

 

Click here to go to the MedlinePlus database.