The Medication Experience: A Concept Analysis.

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Care
• Patient-Centered Care
• Health Sciences

Background:

• The medication experience is crucial for pharmaceutical care and patient-centered care.
• Despite extensive study across disciplines, a formal concept analysis of medication experience is absent.
• Understanding patient perspectives on medication is vital for advancing pharmaceutical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a concept analysis of the medication experience.
• To define and contextualize the medication experience within pharmaceutical care practice.
• To establish a foundation for future research and theory development in pharmaceutical care.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Rodgers' evolutionary concept analysis method.
• Conducted a comprehensive literature search across multiple databases (Ovid Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts, Google Scholar).
• Compiled an international dataset of 66 papers published between 1982 and 2020, supplemented by reference and hand searches.

Main Results:

• Defined medication experience as a state of ambivalence and vulnerability.
• Characterized the patient's engagement as an ongoing, pragmatic negotiation with life.
• Highlighted the contextual and socially constructed nature of individual medication experiences.

Conclusions:

• The concept of medication experience offers a significant contribution to scientific literature.
• A clear definition from the patient's perspective enhances understanding and future research.
• This analysis advances the discipline of pharmaceutical care practice by clarifying a core concept.