Cancer, Chemotherapy, Medication Adherence
Conditions
Keywords
patient adherence, chemotherapy, pictorial aid, complex medication regimen, cancer
Brief summary
Determine if an oncology pictorial medication calendar will improve patient adherence to oncology supportive care medication regimens for adult patients receiving adjuvant or neo-adjuvant chemotherapy treatment for cancer.
Detailed description
Primary Objective: In order to evaluate the impact of such an approach on adherence, a prospective, open-label, randomized controlled pilot trial (RCT) was carried out to determine if a picture-based medication calendar would improve patient adherence to antiemetic medication regimens for adult patients receiving chemotherapy treatment for solid organ tumor origins. The secondary objectives were: 1) to assess medication use and self-efficacy parameters, 2) to determine patient comfort with antiemetic regimen prescribed along with chemotherapy and 3) to determine patient satisfaction with the calendar study tool.
Interventions
DEVICEPicture Medication Calendar
Sponsors
University of Waterloo
Medbuy Corporation
London Health Sciences Centre
London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute OR Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Outpatients 18 years or older receiving chemotherapy treatment for neoadjuvant or adjuvant solid organ cancers, * Able to provide consent for themselves, * Calendar was only available in the English language, thus fluency in English was required.
Exclusion criteria
* Participants who did not attain a minimum of grade 8 education, * Significant visual impairment that precluded the ability to read the picture-based medication calendar, * Difficulty swallowing with requirement for liquid formulations of medications, * If planned to receive multiple cycles of chemotherapy at satellite oncology location instead of main study site, * If unable to repeat the instructions back to research personnel or a care provider had to speak on the participant's behalf, the participant was withdrawn from the study.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Medication Adherence to Prescribed Antiemetics | 1 year | Adherence is quantified as the number of doses taken of a prescribed agent divided by the number of doses prescribed, expressed as a percentage. Pill counts were utilized to calculate the number of missed doses or pills taken as a percentage of the total number prescribed and dispensed. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Patient Understanding and Satisfaction Survey | 1 year | The participant survey conducted at end of study was investigator-created and asked questions regarding demographics and medication taking behaviors. Questions specifically related to the calendar for those in the intervention arm were also asked. Questions regarding satisfaction with the calendar as well as complexity of medication regimen for oncologic treatment were assessed using a 5-point Likert scale. |
| Medication Use and Self-Efficacy (MUSE) Scale | 1 year | 19 The tool measures an individual's perceived ability to understand information about prescribed medicines, and to follow instructions for use. |
Countries
Canada
Outcome results
None listed