Group interviews with people taking long-term medication: comparing the perspectives of people with arthritis, respiratory disease and mental health problems

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Abstract
Objective To examine experiences of medicine use, advice and support from the perspectives of people taking medicines long term for arthritis, respiratory disease and mental health problems. Method Twelve group interviews were conducted, four with each of the three chronic illness groups. Setting Interviews were arranged through national and local voluntary organisations and conducted as part of their regular meetings. Key findings The most prominent issue for all the Arthritis Care groups was information about side effects. People discussed the benefits of having this information and the reasons they believed that it was not generally provided. People with respiratory disease described difficulties of obtaining information as a problem in the operation of the health service in Britain, where participants may or may not find out about different products by chance. In all these discussions there were examples of how people used their regular group meetings to inform each other. For people with mental health problems, participation in decisions concerning medicines and the attitudes of health professionals were the most prominent issues. Members of all groups, across all chronic illnesses, claimed that adequate information was not shared with them during consultations with professionals. However, different perspectives of involvement in decision-making regarding therapy were distinguishable. Pharmacy services did not feature prominently in any of the group discussions. Conclusion The study revealed differences between the illness groups in the emphasis participants placed on different issues. However, there were also common concerns, in particular relating to obtaining information and the attitudes of professionals. While pharmacy services were not prominent in discussions, a range of unmet needs concerning medicines were identified. This indicates that opportunities exist for pharmacists to provide more responsive services that would be valued by people taking long-term medication.