Sacco Katya, West Lorna M Bonnici, Grech Lauren M, Krska Janet, Cordina Maria
Medicines Use Research Group, Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta.
Applied Research & Innovation Centre, Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology, Paola, Malta.
Chronic Illn. 2025 Mar;21(1):145-156. doi: 10.1177/17423953231205918. Epub 2023 Oct 6.
ObjectivesMedication taking in the management of chronic conditions causes a significant burden on individuals. The aim of this study was to explore the medication-related burden in ambulatory adult patients with chronic conditions in Malta.MethodsA cross-sectional survey utilising the living with medicines questionnaire V3 (LMQ V3) was conducted in Maltese residents over the age of 18 years, taking at least 1 medication for a chronic condition and recruited through community events. The overall LMQ score, the domain scores and the visual analog scale data were analysed to determine relationships with the demographic factors.ResultsA total of 337 responses were analysed revealing a moderate (42.4%) to high medication (36.8%) related burden. The drivers of medication-related burden were primarily: 'side-effects of prescribed medication' (r = -0.843, < 0.001), 'attitudes/concerns about medicine use' (r = -0.830, < 0.001) and 'impact/interferences to day-to-day life' (r = -0.820, < 0.001). Lack of autonomy to vary the dosage regimen resulted in a higher burden (r = -0.260, < 0.001). Males experienced an overall higher burden ( = 0.046) especially related to practical difficulties ( = 0.04), cost-related burden ( = 0.04) and side-effects of prescribed medication ( = 0.01).ConclusionMedication-related burden is complex and multi-faceted as demonstrated by the findings of this study. Healthcare professionals should seek to identify and address factors causing this burden to improve patient outcomes.
目的
慢性病管理中的药物服用给个人带来了沉重负担。本研究的目的是探讨马耳他患有慢性病的非住院成年患者的药物相关负担。
方法
采用药物生活问卷V3（LMQ V3）对18岁以上的马耳他居民进行横断面调查，这些居民因慢性病至少服用1种药物，并通过社区活动招募。分析总体LMQ评分、领域评分和视觉模拟量表数据，以确定与人口统计学因素的关系。
结果
共分析了337份回复，结果显示药物相关负担为中度（42.4%）至高（36.8%）。药物相关负担的驱动因素主要有：“处方药的副作用”（r = -0.843，<0.001）、“对用药的态度/担忧”（r = -0.830，<0.001）和“对日常生活的影响/干扰”（r = -0.820，<0.001）。缺乏调整给药方案的自主权导致负担更高（r = -0.260，<0.001）。男性总体负担更高（ = 0.046），尤其是在实际困难（ = 0.04）、费用相关负担（ = 0.04）和处方药副作用（ = 0.01）方面。
结论
本研究结果表明，药物相关负担是复杂且多方面的。医疗保健专业人员应设法识别并解决导致这种负担的因素，以改善患者的治疗效果。
