For a study, the researchers sought to determine if demographic, clinical, or psychosocial characteristics in the Support, Educate, Empower (SEE) program worked as mediators of change in medication adherence. Single-arm, prospective pilot research was conducted pre-post design. The University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center recruited patients with glaucoma who were 40 years old and taking 1 glaucoma medication. The SEE program was open to those with an electronic adherence rate of at least 80% during the 3-month eligibility monitoring period. During the 7-month intervention, medication adherence was tracked electronically and measured as the proportion of doses taken correctly. Changes in adherence at several times in the SEE program and cumulative change in adherence were modeled using linear regression, and significant connections between baseline demographic, clinical, and psychosocial characteristics were researched. In the SEE program, demographic, clinical, and psychosocial characteristics were linked to changes in medication adherence. The SEE program was completed by 39 individuals. The average age of these participants was 63.9 years (SD: 10.7), with 56% (n=22) being male, 44% (n=17) being White, and 49% (n=19) being Black. Medication adherence improved by 23.7% after the final SEE session, from 59.9% (SD, 18.5%) at baseline to 83.6% (SD, 17.5%) after the final SEE session (SD, 17.5%). Although participants with lower income (<$25 000 and between $25 000 and $50 000 vs >$50 000) had lower baseline adherence (48.4% and 64.1% vs 70.4%), they had higher increases in adherence during the first month of medication reminders (19.6% and 21.6% vs 10.2%; P=0.05 and P=0.007, respectively). Participants who took fewer glaucoma drugs had significantly higher gains in medication reminder adherence (P<0.001). Glaucoma-related distress (GD) was associated with lower baseline adherence and bigger gains in adherence with glaucoma coaching (P=0.06). Lower-income, fewer glaucoma drugs, and improved GD were patient-level characteristics related to relatively bigger gains in medication adherence through the SEE Program.
Link:www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2589419621001423
