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Abstract
Adults over the age of 60 struggle with achieving target blood pressure readings due to difficulties seeing, hearing, and understanding medical information, which can result in poor adherence and drug interactions that can be fatal. According to the Institute of Medicine (2000) approximately 10% of adverse drug events may be attributed to communication failure between the provider and patient. Informing patients of potential drug interactions with over-the-counter medications, supplements, and alcohol use can contribute to better blood pressure control. The Next Generation Personal Education Program (PEP-NG) was designed to improve patient care by educating both older adults and their providers about the dangers of adverse drug interactions arising from self-medication. This web-based programme analyses information entered by the patient user (with a stylus on a tablet computer) and delivers tailored interactive educational content applicable to the user's reported medication behaviours. This qualitative study demonstrated that even among participants who may not feel computer literate (older-age generation) it can be a useful tool for information dissemination and also a successful way to improve communication between provider and patient.
Acknowledgements
This research was supported in part by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (National Heart Lung and Blood Institute): Grant R01 HL084208. The authors would like to acknowledge the assistance of Dr Cheryl Beck and her expertise in qualitative research in the reviewing of this manuscript.
Conflicts of interest
The University of Connecticut granted an exclusive license for the PEP-NG to AdhereTx Corporation on 25 August 2009. The University of Connecticut and Patricia J. Neafsey are shareholders of AdhereTx. Jessica Alicea-Planas and Elizabeth Anderson have no conflicts of interest.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Jessica Alicea-Planas
Jessica Alicea-Planas, RN, MS, MPH, CHES, is a PhD candidate in the School of Nursing at the University of Connecticut, USA. She has worked as a community health nurse in underserved areas for over a decade and is a certified health education specialist (CHES). She is currently an adjunct professor at Fairfield University. She received her undergraduate and master's nursing degrees from the University of Connecticut and her master's in public health from Southern Connecticut State University. Her primary area of interest encompasses Latino health disparities with a focus on chronic disease management, health literacy, and health education. She has published a metasynthesis on ‘Hispanic Nursing Students’ Journey to Success’. She aspires to have a career in academia and establish partnerships that facilitate the promotion of higher education among minority students.
Patricia J Neafsey
Patricia Neafsey, RD, PhD, is Professor, Center for Health Intervention and Prevention and School of Nursing at the University of Connecticut. She is a pharmacologist and registered dietician and an author on over 100 peer-reviewed publications and 25 computer-assisted instructional programmes in pharmacology. She was Principal Investigator on grants from the University of Connecticut Research Foundation, the Donaghue Medical Research Foundation, and the NIH National Heart Lung and Blood Institute that funded the development and testing of the Next-Generation Personal Education Program (PEP-NG), an e-health intervention to improve patient adherence to antihypertensive regimens and reduce adverse self-medication behaviours. The PEP-NG has undergone formal usability testing (focus group evaluations and think aloud usability tests), a beta trial, and a clinical efficacy trial. The University of Connecticut granted an exclusive license for the PEP-NG to AdhereTx Corporation, a provider of web-based solutions that facilitate patient data collection and automate coordination of care for medication management in patients with chronic diseases. Dr Neafsey serves as principal scientist for AdhereTx.
Elizabeth Anderson
Elizabeth Anderson, PhD, ANP-BC, APRN, is Associate Professor, Center for Health Intervention and Prevention and School of Nursing at the University of Connecticut. She is Coordinator of the Adult Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Track and the Undergraduate Honors Program at the School of Nursing. She has worked clinically as an advanced practice nurse and conducted research with persons with HIV/AIDS and older adults with hypertension for more than 15 years. Her programme of research includes stress and coping with HIV, factors impacting quality of life including nausea, anxiety, healthcare relationships. Her current research focuses on medication adherence with older adults with HIV/AIDS. She also has extensive experience in phenomenological research with community-based persons living with HIV/AIDS.