The Daily Medication Frequency at Which Participants Begin to Perceive Dosing as Excessive: A Questionnaire-Based...

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Patient Adherence
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Medication adherence is a significant clinical challenge, often negatively impacted by frequent dosing schedules.
• While once-daily regimens are preferred, patient perception of excessive dosing frequency requires further investigation.
• Understanding patient preferences for dosing frequency is crucial for enhancing satisfaction and optimizing pharmacotherapy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the specific medication dosing frequency at which patients begin to perceive it as excessive.
• To identify patient characteristics and medication-related factors associated with the perception of excessive dosing.
• To provide evidence-based recommendations for simplifying medication regimens.

Main Methods:

• A web-based questionnaire survey was conducted among adult patients (≥20 years) who received oral medications within 90 days.
• The survey utilized electronic medication notebook personal health record infrastructure and included questions on perceived dosing excessiveness.
• Multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed to identify factors associated with the perception of excessive dosing, controlling for confounders.

Main Results:

• Out of 1478 respondents, 1236 were included in the analysis, with 28.9% reporting their medication frequency as excessive.
• Twice-daily or more frequent dosing was significantly associated with the perception of excessiveness compared to once-daily dosing.
• The study identified twice-daily dosing as the threshold beyond which patients are significantly more likely to perceive medication frequency as excessive.

Conclusions:

• Twice-daily dosing represents a critical threshold where patients are more likely to find their medication frequency excessive.
• Simplifying medication regimens to once-daily dosing is important for improving patient adherence and satisfaction.
• These findings underscore the need for healthcare providers to consider dosing frequency when prescribing and managing patient pharmacotherapy.