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- What people think about medicines and its prescription by doctors: a study in PortugalPublication . Santos, Margarida; Grilo, Ana; Andrade, Graça; Coelho, AndréDespite the general recognition of the benefits of adherence to medical regimes, it has been estimated that 50% of medicines prescribed for long-term illness are not taken as recommended. Adherence is a multidetermined process. The Extended Common‐Sense Model proposes the inclusion of beliefs about medicines as mediators between illness representations and adherence. Stronger beliefs about medicines and their harmful effects have been associated with higher levels of nonadherence. Objective: Explore general beliefs about medicines, and their recommendation by doctors among the Portuguese general population (age > 18 years) who use community pharmacy. Methodology: The two subscales, “general overuse” and general harm”, of the “The Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire” (BMQ) and a sociodemographic questionnaire were used. IBM SPSS 26 software was used for statistical analysis. Results: A total of 847 Portuguese adults participated, 331 (39,1%) were 25-44 years of age; 427 (50,4%) concluded secondary education, and 198 (23,4%) reported having a chronic condition. The majority of participants endorse the belief that most medicines are addictive, and a large percentage agreed that they are toxic, that doctors overprescribed and could benefit from hearing patients; and that natural remedies are safer than medicines. Differences were found considering age (p=0,093), sex(p=0,08), and having active working (p=0,045) with stronger beliefs in young adults and adults, in males and no active workers. No differences were found considering the presence/absence of chronic disease". These results are discussed considering their possible contribution to the promotion of adherence through better communication with doctors, nurses, and pharmacists.
- Conhecimentos, crenças e consumo de antibióticos na Europa: uma revisão de âmbitoPublication . Andrade, Graça; Galvão, Andreia; Gonçalves, Margarida; Grilo, Ana; Coelho, AndréIntrodução – O consumo excessivo e inadequado de antibióticos corresponde a um problema grave de saúde pública, essencialmente pela disseminação das resistências bacterianas. O presente artigo tem como objetivo realizar uma revisão de âmbito sobre conhecimentos, crenças e consumo de antibióticos na população europeia e a relação entre estas variáveis, bem como com variáveis sociodemográficas (idade, sexo, escolaridade, área de residência), visando uma síntese da investigação original sobre o tema. Métodos – A revisão foi realizada nas bases de dados PubMed, Web of Science, SciELO e Lilacs, incluindo artigos publicados entre 2008 e 2021. Dos 246 registos inicialmente obtidos, 26 artigos preencheram os critérios de inclusão. Resultados – A maioria dos estudos recorreu ao questionário de autopreenchimento como método de recolha de dados. O nível de conhecimento sobre antibióticos revelou-se bastante heterogéneo. Contudo, só uma minoria dos estudos identificou um bom grau de conhecimentos. Em doze dos estudos analisados, as variáveis sociodemográficas apresentaram uma elevada relação com o conhecimento sobre antibióticos, sendo este superior em inquiridos com um maior grau de escolaridade, adultos jovens e de meia-idade, com formação na área da saúde ou com familiares no ramo da saúde. A crença de que os antibióticos servem para tratar mais rapidamente doenças como gripes e constipações é a mais frequentemente relatada. O consumo de antibióticos revelou-se superior em inquiridos do sexo feminino e com menor escolaridade. Poucos estudos encontraram relações significativas do consumo de antibióticos com a idade e a área de residência. Conclusões – Os estudos indicam que, de um modo geral, o nível de conhecimento não é suficiente para permitir um consumo adequado de antibióticos, salientando-se a importância de se realizarem campanhas mais efetivas sobre a utilização destes medicamentos, que foquem o conhecimento e as crenças associadas ao seu uso inadequado. Só assim será possível reduzir a disseminação das resistências bacterianas.
- Public information on medication safety: sources, perceived reliability and the influence of educational levelPublication . Andrade, Graça; Grilo, Ana; Santos, Margarida; Coelho, AndréBackground: WHO declared medication safety (MS) a patient safety global concern, placing patient engagement as the centerpiece. Most health psychology models enhance beliefs' influence on health behaviors, being an information-processing determinant of health beliefs. This process it’s influenced by meanings given to information and its sources. Aims: To identify the main information sources about MS, focusing on the Portuguese medicine agency (INFARMED), and assess their perceived reliability and efficacy in transmitting information to the public, considering educational level. Methodology: Data was collected using a convenience sample of 782 participants, who completed a questionnaire assessing sociodemographic data and perceptions about public information on MS. Study was approved by University Ethics Committee. Results: Pharmacies, doctors, INFARMED and Google represent the top-4 sources of information. Only Google is perceived as non-reliable. 7.7% of the participants never heard about INFARMED, with lower frequencies in higher educational levels (p=0.007). The majority of participants consider INFARMED a reliable source and effective in transmitting information about MS, but its perceived efficacy reduces with increased education levels (p<0.001). The same for the impact of more information in raising confidence in medicines (p=0.05). Stop taking the medicine and searching for more information are the most commonly reported consequences of receiving information about a MS problem, with higher frequencies on the lowest education level (p<0.001). Conclusion: Public sources of information are well known and seen as credible, though educated participants seem to be more demanding of the quality and reliability of the information.