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Original Research

Support needs for medication use and the suitability of eHealth technologies to address these needs: a focus group study of older patients with rheumatoid arthritis

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Pages 349-358 | Published online: 07 Mar 2018
 

Abstract

Objective

The objectives of this study were to explore the needs of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) regarding support for medication use and to gain insight into their perspective on the suitability of eHealth technologies to address these needs.

Methods

Three focus groups were conducted with 28 patients with RA. Audio recordings made during the focus groups were transcribed verbatim. Two researchers independently performed an inductive, thematic analysis on the data (ie, the transcripts and field notes).

Results

The following three themes that described support needs of patients with RA for medication use were identified in the data: 1) informational support; 2) practical support; and 3) emotional support. Informational support reflected the provision of information and facts, including advice, suggestions, and feedback from health care providers. Practical support included the reinforcement of practical skills as well as the provision of medication aids and pharmacy services. Emotional support reflected a trusted patient–health care provider relationship, characterized by good communication. Although potential advantages of eHealth technologies to address the patients’ support needs were recognized, concerns over matters such as personal interaction with health care providers, privacy and data security, and the quality and reliability of online information were prevalent.

Conclusion

Patients with RA have informational, practical, and emotional support needs for medication use. Informational support seems to be most important. From the patients’ perspective, eHealth technologies may have the potential to address these needs. However, these technologies are regarded as a complement to, rather than a replacement of, current practices.

Acknowledgments

We thank the moderators, Annette Heijnen (AH) and Maaike Abrahamse (MA), and an assistant moderator, Ellen Selten (ES), for their great work facilitating the focus groups. Also, we thank Herman van Duijn (HvD) and Peter van Grinsven (PvG) for fulfilling a consulting and advising role as patient research partners. This study received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or nonprofit sectors.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.