Perspective of the patient with rheumatoid arthritis on issues related to missed medication.

In order to better understand issues surrounding missed medication doses, 140 patients with rheumatoid arthritis in a tertiary care clinic were interviewed about their medication-taking behavior and beliefs. Findings from work in memory and attention and concepts from Ajzen and Fishbein's theory of reasoned action were used to guide the development of questions. Key findings included: (a) some ignorance about their regimen, (b) a tendency to rely just on their memories rather than environmental cues to remember doses, (c) variation in responses to a missed dose, and (d) the use of an inferential process for judging a medication's efficaciousness. These findings suggest several areas that physicians and allied health professionals can investigate with patients to help minimize missed doses.