Tripathi Raakhi, Jalgaonkar Sharmila, Gajbhiye Snehalata, Khatri Nishtha, Sayyed Mohsin, Parkar Shubhangi
Dept. of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Seth G.S. Medical College and King Edward Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
Dept. of Psychiatry, Seth G.S. Medical College and King Edward Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
Indian J Psychol Med. 2022 Mar;44(2):137-144. doi: 10.1177/02537176211056358. Epub 2021 Dec 21.
Schizophrenia is associated with high relapse rates, and medication nonadherence is a major factor contributing toward relapse. Since medication adherence and treatment awareness are linked, an alarming need was felt to evaluate the level of drug treatment awareness in patients who have schizophrenia. Besides, patients who have schizophrenia are often dependent on their caregivers for medications. Hence, the current study was also designed to look into drug treatment awareness among caregivers.
This was a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study. Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia as per , Fifth Edition were included, provided they had good insight and had been prescribed medications at the study center for at least three months. Caregivers were included using the Pollak and Perlick criteria. The sociodemographic profile of the patients and caregivers was recorded, and further assessment for treatment awareness was done using the prevalidated Drug Treatment Awareness Questionnaire (DTAQ).
A total of 166 patients and 157 caregivers were enrolled. Mean drug awareness scores among patients and caregivers did not show statistically significant differences (P= 0.22). Mean ± SD DTAQ awareness scores in patients and caregivers were 12.57 ± 1.81 and 12.84 ± 1.91, respectively. The majority of patients and caregivers (> 90%) possessed awareness in domains related to past medication records and in that of re-visit/re-contact instructions. Awareness was least commonly seen in relation to side effects of medications and details of the prescribed medications, where only about 50% of patients and caregivers possessed awareness. No clinically significant correlation was found between sociodemographic factors and drug treatment awareness scores.
Drug treatment awareness in patients and caregivers was comparable and was not reliant on the sociodemographic factors. Special interventions should be conducted to raise drug treatment awareness among patients having insight and their caregivers.
精神分裂症与高复发率相关，而药物治疗依从性不佳是导致复发的主要因素。由于药物治疗依从性与治疗认知相关，因此迫切需要评估精神分裂症患者的药物治疗认知水平。此外，精神分裂症患者通常在用药方面依赖其照料者。因此，本研究还旨在调查照料者的药物治疗认知情况。
这是一项基于问卷的横断面研究。纳入符合《精神疾病诊断与统计手册》第五版诊断标准的精神分裂症患者，前提是他们有良好的自知力且在研究中心接受药物治疗至少三个月。根据波拉克和佩利克标准纳入照料者。记录患者和照料者的社会人口学资料，并使用预先验证的药物治疗认知问卷（DTAQ）进一步评估治疗认知情况。
共纳入166例患者和157名照料者。患者和照料者的平均药物认知得分无统计学显著差异（P = 0.22）。患者和照料者的DTAQ平均认知得分分别为12.57±1.81和12.84±1.91。大多数患者和照料者（>90%）在与既往用药记录及复诊/再次联系说明相关的领域具备认知。在药物副作用和所开药物细节方面，认知情况最不常见，只有约50%的患者和照料者具备认知。未发现社会人口学因素与药物治疗认知得分之间存在具有临床意义的相关性。
患者和照料者的药物治疗认知情况相当，且不依赖于社会人口学因素。应开展特殊干预措施，以提高有自知力的患者及其照料者的药物治疗认知水平。
