David Poon1, Michael Legal2, Louise Lau3, Harkaryn Bagri4, Karen Dahri5. 1. , BSc, PharmD, ACPR, is a Clinical Pharmacist with St Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia. 2. , BScPharm, PharmD, ACPR, FCSHP, is Clinical Manager for Lower Mainland Pharmacy Services, Vancouver, British Columbia. 3. , BSc, BScPharm, ACPR, is a Clinical Pharmacist with Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia. 4. , BSc, BScPharm, ACPR, is a Clinical Pharmacist with Surrey Memorial Hospital, Surrey, British Columbia. 5. , BSc, BScPharm, PharmD, ACPR, FCSHP, is Clinical Pharmacotherapeutic Specialist (Internal Medicine) with Vancouver General Hospital and Assistant Professor (Partner) with the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia.
Abstract
Background: Drug-drug interactions (DDIs) can cause adverse drug events, leading to hospitalizations and an increase in the risk of morbidity and mortality. Until now, patients' perceptions of DDIs have represented an understudied area of research. Objectives: To explore patients' perceptions of DDIs and identify factors important to patients' understanding of their medications. Methods: Participants were recruited from 2 ambulatory clinics (heart function and transplant) in Vancouver, British Columbia. Participants engaged in key informant interviews and were asked to provide their demographic information, rate their understanding of their own medications, and define a DDI. Afterward, participants were interviewed to gather their perceptions of DDIs and factors important to their understanding of their medications. Results: A total of 7 patients were recruited. Participants struggled to define a DDI and were unsure if they had ever experienced a DDI. There was a reliance on health care professionals to help manage DDIs. Participants did not identify barriers preventing them from accessing medication information from health care professionals; however, they independently sought medication information found on the internet. Conclusions: Patients in this study had an incomplete understanding of DDIs and had difficulties differentiating DDIs from side effects of medications. As a result of their limited understanding of DDIs, patients relied on health care professionals to inform and manage their DDIs. Although patients did not identify barriers to accessing medication information, their pervasive use of the internet suggests that there are unidentified barriers preventing patients from speaking directly to their health care professionals regarding their medication therapy. 2022 Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists. All content in the Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy is copyrighted by the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacy. In submitting their manuscripts, the authors transfer, assign, and otherwise convey all copyright ownership to CSHP.
Background: Drug-drug interactions (DDIs) can cause adverse drug events, leading to hospitalizations and an increase in the risk of morbidity and mortality. Until now, patients' perceptions of DDIs have represented an understudied area of research. Objectives: To explore patients' perceptions of DDIs and identify factors important to patients' understanding of their medications. Methods: Participants were recruited from 2 ambulatory clinics (heart function and transplant) in Vancouver, British Columbia. Participants engaged in key informant interviews and were asked to provide their demographic information, rate their understanding of their own medications, and define a DDI. Afterward, participants were interviewed to gather their perceptions of DDIs and factors important to their understanding of their medications. Results: A total of 7 patients were recruited. Participants struggled to define a DDI and were unsure if they had ever experienced a DDI. There was a reliance on health care professionals to help manage DDIs. Participants did not identify barriers preventing them from accessing medication information from health care professionals; however, they independently sought medication information found on the internet. Conclusions: Patients in this study had an incomplete understanding of DDIs and had difficulties differentiating DDIs from side effects of medications. As a result of their limited understanding of DDIs, patients relied on health care professionals to inform and manage their DDIs. Although patients did not identify barriers to accessing medication information, their pervasive use of the internet suggests that there are unidentified barriers preventing patients from speaking directly to their health care professionals regarding their medication therapy. 2022 Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists. All content in the Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy is copyrighted by the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacy. In submitting their manuscripts, the authors transfer, assign, and otherwise convey all copyright ownership to CSHP.
Entities:
Keywords:
drug interactions; health care professionals; interactions médicamenteuses; patient perceptions; perceptions des patients; professionnels de la santé