Background: Medication self-management (MSM) is considered as an important aspect of pharmacotherapy and plays an essential role in the treatment of various illnesses. MSM is defined as a person’s capability to cope with medication treatment for a chronic condition and the physical and psychosocial effects and changes it causes in their daily life.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify healthcare providers’ willingness to allow MSM and assess their attitude, conditions, benefits, and ability towards it during hospitalisation.
Methods: A multicentre, quantitative cross-sectional observational design was used to study psychiatric healthcare providers’ attitude to MSM during hospitalisation in patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorders. Healthcare providers completed an online structured questionnaire on their willingness, attitude, conditions, benefits, and ability of MSM between November 2020 and March 2021.
Results: In this study, 173 healthcare providers, of which 147 were nurses and 26 psychiatrists participated. During hospitalisation, 86% of the healthcare providers were willing to allow MSM. They stated patient’s willingness is a condition for allowing MSM (97%). Regularly evaluating patients’ abilities, regarding MSM, during hospitalisation was seen as an important condition (94%). In addition, the healthcare providers agreed that medication should always be stored in a safe place in the patient’s room (92%), patients should have a medication schedule on paper (81%) and that MSM can only be implemented after educational interventions about medication (77%). Psychiatrists were significantly less convinced that MSM during hospitalisation has a positive impact on adherence when compared to nurses (respectively 54% vs 77%, p=0.009).
Conclusions: Most healthcare providers indicated that they were willing to allow MSM in patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorders during hospitalisation under specific conditions. Patients should be willing, patients’ abilities to MSM have be evaluated on a regular basis during hospitalisation, and patients must be motivated to take their medication correctly.
