Exploring medication self-management in community-dwelling adults with chronic medication experience: A concept mapping study.

Background: People who take medications often experience challenges including making decisions about risks versus benefits and integrating medication management with all aspects of life (e.g., social and work responsibilities). Existing medication self-management frameworks are primarily adherence-focused and lack integrating holistic perspectives.

Objective: To explore the priorities of people with chronic medication experience (i.e., take at least 1 medication daily for at least 3 months) and what they can contribute to the understanding of medication self-management.

Methods: Concept mapping is a participatory, mixed-methods approach with 3 stages: brainstorming, sorting/rating, and mapping. Group brainstorming discussions were held with participants who generated statements about what mattered to them regarding medications in their everyday lives. In sorting/rating, individual participants grouped statements into thematic piles and rated their importance and feasibility. During mapping, a subset of participants discussed and agreed on a visual map and named the statement clusters. Following mapping, the researchers analyzed rating results, stratified by participant characteristics (gender, age, duration of medication use, number of medications, and chronic conditions).

Results: Sixty-three participants generated 1044 statements during 8 brainstorming sessions, which the researchers synthesized into 94 statements. Fifty-four participants individually sorted and rated the statements. Most statements were rated highly on both importance and feasibility, regardless of participant characteristics. Eight participants attended the mapping session. The final map had 9 thematic clusters, which were named by participants as: 1) researching and becoming educated about medications; 2) social support; 3) effectiveness of medication; 4) self-ownership of medication; 5) ease of use; 6) convenience and accessibility; 7) information provided by healthcare provider; 8) personal interactions with healthcare provider; and 9) patient involvement and trust.

Conclusions: Results enhance existing medication management frameworks by providing a more comprehensive perspective. Understanding medication self-management requires more research that incorporates and prioritizes the perspectives of individuals who manage their medications.