A Trial to Assess the Influence of a Pictorial Medication Calendar on Medication Taking Behaviour

Lawson Health Research Institute

Status: Completed

Conditions: Medication Adherence; Chemotherapy; Cancer

Treatments: Device: Picture Medication Calendar

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04701736

107084

Details and patient eligibility

About

Determine if an oncology pictorial medication calendar will improve patient adherence to oncology supportive care medication regimens for adult patients receiving adjuvant or neo-adjuvant chemotherapy treatment for cancer.

Full description

Primary Objective: In order to evaluate the impact of such an approach on adherence, a prospective, open-label, randomized controlled pilot trial (RCT) was carried out to determine if a picture-based medication calendar would improve patient adherence to antiemetic medication regimens for adult patients receiving chemotherapy treatment for solid organ tumor origins.

The secondary objectives were: 1) to assess medication use and self-efficacy parameters, 2) to determine patient comfort with antiemetic regimen prescribed along with chemotherapy and 3) to determine patient satisfaction with the calendar study tool.

Enrollment: 70 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Outpatients 18 years or older receiving chemotherapy treatment for neoadjuvant or adjuvant solid organ cancers,
• Able to provide consent for themselves,
• Calendar was only available in the English language, thus fluency in English was required.

Exclusion criteria

• Participants who did not attain a minimum of grade 8 education,
• Significant visual impairment that precluded the ability to read the picture-based medication calendar,
• Difficulty swallowing with requirement for liquid formulations of medications,
• If planned to receive multiple cycles of chemotherapy at satellite oncology location instead of main study site,
• If unable to repeat the instructions back to research personnel or a care provider had to speak on the participant's behalf, the participant was withdrawn from the study.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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70 participants in 2 patient groups

Routine Care

No Intervention group

Description:

Routine care consists of an oncology pharmacist counselling the patient on supportive care medications prior to the patient getting his or her prescription dispensed.

Intervention

Active Comparator group

Description:

The intervention group will encompass the oncology pharmacist using the computer system to print a Picture Medication Calendar for the patient and use the calendar to explain supportive medications, in addition to routine care.

Treatment:

Device: Picture Medication Calendar