Investigating barriers to immunosuppressant medication adherence in renal transplant patients.

Aim: Immunosuppressant medication non-adherence can result in allograft rejection and loss. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of non-adherence and barriers to adherence with immunosuppressant medications, in an adult renal transplant cohort.

Methods: Kidney transplant recipients completed a self-report survey consisting of five validated questionnaires (Basel Assessment of Adherence to Immunosuppressive Medications Scale (BAASIS), Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire, Immunosuppressant Therapy Barrier Scale, Brief-Illness Perception Questionnaire, and Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale), and provided sociodemographic information.

Investigating strategies used by hospital pharmacists to effectively communicate with patients during medication counselling.

Background: Medication counselling opportunities are key times for pharmacists and patients to discuss medications and patients' concerns about their therapy. Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT) describes behavioural, motivational and emotional processes underlying communication exchanges. Five CAT strategies (approximation, interpretability, discourse management, emotional expression and interpersonal control) permit identification of effective communication.

Hospital pharmacists' perceptions of medication counseling: A focus group study.

Background: Medication counseling sessions are key times for a pharmacist to speak to patients about their medications and the changes made to their therapies during their hospital stay.

Objectives: To explore hospital pharmacists' perceptions of their roles and goals in patient medication counseling, and perceived barriers and facilitators to achieving their goals.

Methods: Hospital pharmacist focus groups were held in two tertiary referral hospitals.

Examining hospital pharmacists' goals for medication counseling within the communication accommodation theoretical framework.

Background: Medication counseling opportunities are key times for pharmacists to speak to patients about their medications and any changes made during their hospital stay. Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT) posits that an individual's goals drive their communication behavior. The way in which pharmacists communicate with patients may be determined by the goals they set for these medication counseling sessions.

Exploring beliefs about heart failure treatment in adherent and nonadherent patients: use of the repertory grid technique.

Purpose: Beliefs about medicines impact on adherence, but eliciting core beliefs about medicines in individual patients is difficult. One method that has the potential to elicit individual core beliefs is the "repertory grid technique." This study utilized the repertory grid technique to elicit individuals' beliefs about their heart failure treatment and to investigate whether generated constructs were different between adherent and nonadherent patients.