Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39664865›Full record

ArticleJournal of pharmaceutical policy and practice2024

Lipid-lowering agent preferences among patients with hypercholesterolemia: a focus group study.

Hei Hang Edmund Yiu, Kehui Deng, Lydia Wy Fung, Xuxiao Ye, Joseph Edgar Blais, Hung Fat Tse, Martin Chi Sang Wong, Bryan P Yan, William Chi Wai Wong, Xue Li and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Hei Hang Edmund YiuCentre for Safe Medication Practice and Research, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1492-9414
Kehui DengFaculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0006-0072-0106
Lydia Wy FungCentre for Safe Medication Practice and Research, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1527-6840
Xuxiao YeCentre for Safe Medication Practice and Research, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9316-4666
Joseph Edgar BlaisCentre for Safe Medication Practice and Research, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China.
Hung Fat TseDepartment of Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China.
Martin Chi Sang WongJC School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China.
Bryan P YanDepartment of Medicine & Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China.
William Chi Wai WongDepartment of Family Medicine and Primary Care, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2540-4055
Xue LiCentre for Safe Medication Practice and Research, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4836-7808
Carlos King Ho WongCentre for Safe Medication Practice and Research, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China.
Chun Ka WongDepartment of Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5205-9440
Esther W ChanCentre for Safe Medication Practice and Research, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7602-9470

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Non-adherence to lipid-lowering agents poses significant risks to patients and diminishes treatment effectiveness. Current understanding of patients' preferences regarding the characteristics of these agents is limited. This study aims to qualitatively identify the barriers to lipid-lowering medication adherence and the factors considered by patients with hypercholesterolemia when choosing lipid-lowering agents, and to inform the design of a medication preference study. Methods: Face-to-face focus group interviews were conducted with Cantonese-speaking patients diagnosed with hypercholesterolemia in Hong Kong. Patients were recruited by cardiologists at a university-affiliated hospital using convenience sampling. The interviews consisted of three parts: gathering patients' perceptions of disease and medication, identifying important factors in selecting lipid-lowering agents, and completing the medication preference tasks designed using the Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) method. Thematic analysis was used to categorise the codes derived from the transcripts into higher-order themes. Results: Twenty patients completed the focus group interviews on the university campus between January and March 2023. Four main themes emerged: medication management issues, patients' medication preferences, structure, and comprehension of preference tasks. Barriers to medication adherence included lack of knowledge, a high pill burden, poor communication with healthcare providers, minimal treatment decision involvement, limited access to medication information, side effects, and forgetfulness. Factors influencing medication choice were treatment regimen (i.e. the route and frequency of administration), effectiveness, side effects, doctors' opinions, drug interactions, and out-of-pocket costs. Despite suggestions for modifying attributes and levels, the medication preference tasks effectively reflected patients' trade-offs. Conclusions: The identified barriers to medication adherence and the factors influencing medication choice highlight the importance of considering patients' perspectives. These insights could assist decision-makers in selecting medications that align with patient preferences, thereby promoting medication adherence. A large-scale DCE preference study will be conducted in Hong Kong to quantify the relative importance of the attributes of lipid-lowering agents.

Indexed as

adherencebarriersfocus grouphypercholesterolemiaLipid-lowering agentspreferences

Identifiers

PMID39664865
PMCPMC11632947

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.