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- Digital solutions available to be used by informal caregivers, contributing to medication adherence: A scoping reviewPublication . Espírito-Santo, Margarida; Santos, Sancha; Estêvão, M. DulceMedication adherence is essential for managing chronic diseases and achieving optimal health outcomes. However, this process is often challenging, particularly for patients with complex care needs. Informal caregivers play a pivotal role in supporting medication management, but they may face resource limitations and a lack of necessary support. Digital health tools offer a promising avenue to enhance medication adherence by providing reminders, education, and remote monitoring capabilities. This scoping review aimed to identify and evaluate digital solutions available to informal caregivers for improving medication adherence. A systematic search of PubMed and Web of Science was conducted using relevant keywords. Four studies were included in the review, examining a variety of digital tools including mobile apps, SMS messaging, and wearable devices. These tools demonstrated efficacy in improving medication adherence, managing disease symptoms, and enhancing quality of life for patients and caregivers. Digital health interventions hold the potential to revolutionize medication adherence among chronic disease patients. By empowering informal caregivers, these tools can bridge the gaps in medication management and contribute to better health outcomes. Further research is warranted to optimize the design, implementation, and evaluation of digital interventions for medication adherence.
- Automedicação: hábitos durante um período de pandemia - estudo transversalPublication . Espírito-Santo, Margarida; Estêvão, M. Dulce; Campos, EricaA automedicação é uma prática muito comum e a pandemia de COVID-19 poderá ter criado condições para haver um maior recurso às farmácias comunitárias, particularmente em situações de doença ligeira. Esse estudo teve como objetivo analisar os hábitos de automedicação de uma amostra da população Portuguesa durante o período inicial da pandemia (março-novembro 2020), identificar os medicamentos não sujeitos a receita médica (MNSRM) e suplementos alimentares mais consumidos, bem como as situações que levaram os indivíduos a recorrer à automedicação e a informação sobre estes produtos. Foi realizado um estudo transversal, observacional, através da aplicação de um questionário com recurso a uma plataforma da internet, durante o mês de dezembro 2020. Os dados foram obtidos de forma anónima, e analisados com o programa IBM SPSS v26. A amostra em análise era composta por 170 indivíduos, tendo-se verificado que a pandemia parece não ter afetado a frequência de ida à farmácia. As situações que mais levaram as pessoas a recorrer à automedicação foram dores de cabeça e dores musculares. Os medicamentos mais utilizados neste período pelos participantes neste estudo foram os analgésicos e os anti-inflamatórios. Apesar de todas as restrições impostas pela situação pandémica, parece não ter havido um impacto negativo no recurso às farmácias comunitárias, nem um aumento significativo da prática de automedicação. Foi também assinalado o papel relevante dos profissionais de Farmácia, em particular nas situações de automedicação, como fonte de informação sobre o uso dos medicamentos e dos suplementos alimentares.
- Knowledge assessment during the medication process use by older patients on clinical routine: A pilot studyPublication . Espírito-Santo, Margarida; Pinto, Ezequiel; Estêvão, M. Dulce; Nascimento, TâniaObjectives: The consumption of medicines has been increasing over the last decades. The lack of medication knowledge (MK) may affect the process of medication use and, consequently, may lead to negative health outcomes. This study carried out a pilot study using a new tool to assess MK in older patients in a daily clinical practice. Materials and Methods: An exploratory cross-sectional study was conducted, including older patients (>= 65 years), taking two or more medicines, followed in a regional clinic. Data were collected during a structured interview, which included an algorithm for assessing MK regarding the identification of the medicines and its use and storage conditions. Health literacy and treatment adherence were also assessed.Results: The study enrolled 49 patients, mainly between 65 and 75 years (n: 33; 67.3%) and polymedicated (n: 40; 81.6%), taking a mean of 6.9 +/- 2.8 medicines per day. A lack of MK (score <50%) was observed in 15 (30.6%) participant patients. "Drug strength" and "storage conditions" were the items which presented the lowest score. MK was positively correlated with higher scores for health literacy and treatment adherence. Younger patients (age <65 years old) also had a higher MK score.Conclusion: This study showed that the applied tool could evaluate the MK of the participants and identified specific gaps regarding MK within the process of medicine use. Further studies, with more participants, will allow the confirmation of these findings and will stimulate the development of specific strategies to improve MK, thus contributing to better health outcomes.
- Patient information leaflets of drugs used in cardiometabolic disorders: Suitability for use by older personsPublication . Espírito-Santo, Margarida; Pinto, Ezequiel; Estêvão, M. Dulce; Nascimento, TâniaIn the European Union, all medicines must include appropriate labelling and the respective patient information leaflet (PIL), which is the most reachable source of medicine’s information for patients. This document includes a set of information understandable by their potential users and complementary to the information provided by health professionals. The ageing of the Portuguese population raises the need for the appropriateness of medicine’s information for older consumers, taking into account their specific needs arising from physiological changes impacting drug action. This project aimed to analyse the content of medicines’ PILs, specifically directed at older persons. A sample of medicines was selected considering the 100 active substances more consumed in Portugal by patients with chronic pathologies such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and dyslipidaemia. The analysis included readability, legibility, and content (directly and indirectly related to the use of medicines by older persons). A total of 69 PILs were analysed, and it was observed that the information provided about the drugs was included in most of these PILs (95.7%; n = 66) but without any specific information for patients belonging to different age groups. Signalling-specific warnings for older persons were only available in less than half of the PILs (46.4%; n = 32). The presence of relevant information on the appropriate use of the drug such as the recommended dose was only specified for older persons in 28% (n = 19) of the analysed PILs. The information available in PILs which can be considered as specifically directed to older persons is relatively scarce, even in areas as critical as the instructions for use. Hopefully, these results will contribute to increasing awareness regarding the need to adapt PILs’ content to specific consumers and to test them to guarantee that they are adequate for all potential consumers.