Hospitalised patients with polypharmacy (i.e., taking five or more chronic medications) Other
Conditions
Interventions
During the control period, care as usual will be offered which comprises medication management (storage, preparation and administration) entirely provided by healthcare providers during hospitalisatio
Sponsors
University of Antwerp
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 100 Years
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: 1. Dutch-speaking 2. 18 years or older 3. Taking five or more chronic medications at the time of hospital admission (i.e., polypharmacy) of which at least 3 oral medications. Medications are considered chronic if used for at least 3 months. 4. Hospitalized for at least 3 days 5. Planned discharge towards home 6. Being eligible for medication self-management according to the SelfMED-assessment tool
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: 1. Nursing home residents 2. Patients with a neuro-psychiatric diagnosis of dementia or Mini Mental State Examination <24/30 3. Patients with a terminal illness (i.e., life expectancy less than 3 months) 4. Patients where preparation and administration of medication are usually performed under the supervision of an (in)formal caregiver 5. Patients unable to provide consent
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Medication adherence measured by pill counts, based on preserved medication packages, and determined at 2 months post-discharge. A threshold of 80% of medications taken will be used to differentiate between adherent and non-adherent patients. | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| 1. Patient-reported medication adherence: A self-report questionnaire (i.e., Probabilistic Medication Adherence Scale) will be completed by patients upon admission and 2 months post-discharge. During 2 months, patients are requested to keep a diary in which medication-related problems are registered (on paper). 2. Self-management of medication will be defined as ‘the patients’ ability to manage their medication regimen’. Upon admission and 2 months post-discharge, problems with medication self-management experienced by patients will be evaluated through a self-developed self-report survey. 3. Medication knowledge: Upon admission and 2 months post-discharge, four types of medication will be randomly selected from the patient’s medication list. Regarding these medications, knowledge will be assessed including medication name, indication, dose, administration route and administration time (correct yes/no). The sum scores (sum of all correct answers) of total knowledge of chronic medication will be calculated. 4. Patient satisfaction with pharmaceutical care: At discharge, patients will be questioned about their satisfaction with the received pharmaceutical care during hospitalisation through a visual analogue scale. 5. Healthcare providers' satisfaction with pharmaceutical care: At the end of the study, nurses, physicians and pharmacists will be questioned about their satisfaction with pharmaceutical care provided through a visual analogue scale, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of usual care and medication self-management using open-ended questions. 6. Healthcare providers’ workload: At the end of the study, nurses, physicians and hospital pharmacists indicate the impact of pharmaceutical care on their workload using a 10-point rating scale. 7. Healthcare service utilization: 2 months post-discharge, patients will be questioned about medication-related advice-seeking behaviour and health services utilization through a self-reported questionnaire includi | — |
Countries
Belgium
Contacts
Public ContactLaura Mortelmans
Outcome results
None listed