Investigation of medication treatment adherence among bipolar affective disorder patients

• Grant number: 07/01284-1
• Support type: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: August 01, 2007 - July 31, 2009
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Nursing - Psychiatric Nursing
• Principal researcher: Adriana Inocenti Miasso
• Grantee: Adriana Inocenti Miasso
• Home Institution: Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto (EERP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The Bipolar Affective Disorder (BAD) is a chronic condition that affects approximately 1.6% of the population and represents one of the major causes of incapacitation in the world. The use of medication is a necessity in the treatment of patients with BAD. However, theory and practice are demonstrating that no problem is more frequent than the difficulty the patient has in following the treatment, which leads to a lack of disease control, to an increase in avoidable hospitalizations and to a high costs in health care. So, the goals of this study are to verify the adherence of people with BAD to therapeutic medication; to identify the possible causes of adherence and non-adherence and to evaluate satisfaction among a group of these patients with the health professionals and with the therapeutic medication. The sample will be formed using all patients that had a consultation in a Mental Health Nucleus of a São Paulo interior city during the period January 1 to June 30, 2007, and that fulfil the inclusion criteria for this study. The data will be collected using an interview consisting of the Morinsky-Green Test and an instrument elaborated by the researcher. A quali-quantitative approach will be used for the data analysis. The quantitative data will be organised as a spreadsheet using the Excel program and later, analysed using the program Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS, version 11.5). The qualitative data analysis will be based on the steps proposed by Minayo (1999). This study will allow an improvement of implementation of intervention strategies in the health services directed toward the rational use of medication by people with BAD as well as providing an improvement in the quality of attention given to this population. (AU)