Influence of the COVID‐19 Pandemic on Adherence to Orally Administered Antineoplastics

Background: Several factors can influence adherence to orally administered antineoplas-tics, including fear or anxiety resulting from situations such as the COVID‐19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to analyse the influence of these patients’ experiences on adherence to orally administered antine...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Aznar, M.T (Author), Aznar‐lou, I. (Author), Bejerano, M. (Author), Guilabert, M. (Author), López‐pintor, E. (Author), Lumbreras, B. (Author), Talens, A. (Author)
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI 2022
Subjects:
Online Access:View Fulltext in Publisher
Description
Summary:Background: Several factors can influence adherence to orally administered antineoplas-tics, including fear or anxiety resulting from situations such as the COVID‐19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to analyse the influence of these patients’ experiences on adherence to orally administered antineoplastics. Methods: Cross‐sectional study in four hospitals including >18 year old cancer patients receiving orally administered antineoplastics during the first half of 2021. Data were collected from medical records and through telephone interviews. Adherence was assessed through the prescription refill records and pill counts. Patients’ fear resulting from the pandemic was assessed by means of a structured questionnaire using a 5‐point Likert‐type scale. Results: Our sample compr BARCELONAised 268 patients (54% men) with a mean age of 64 years (SD 12). More than 15% had experienced afraid and 5% had experienced a dangerous situation when attending hospi-tal, 17% felt they had received less care, and 30% preferred telepharmacy. Adherence measured by pill count was 69.3% and 95.5% according to prescription refill records. Patients who had experienced fear or anxiety when attending hospital were less adherent (aOR 0.47, 95% CI 0.23–0.96, p = 0.039). Conclusion: The fear experienced by some patients has affected adherence to treatment. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
ISBN:20770383 (ISSN)
DOI:10.3390/jcm11092436