Adherence in Youth With Multiple Sclerosis: A Qualitative Assessment of Habit Formation, Barriers, and Facilitators

The MoXFo initiative - adherence: Exercise adherence, compliance and sustainability among people with multiple sclerosis: An overview and roadmap for research

We know very little about exercise adherence, compliance and sustainability in multiple sclerosis (MS), yet adherence is seemingly important for yielding immediate and sustained health benefits. This paper is focused on exercise adherence, compliance and sustainability in the context of informing research and practice involving MS. This focus is critical for clarifying terminology for future research and providing a roadmap guiding clinical research and practice. Our objective was accomplished through a narrative summary of the literature by a panel of experts on exercise adherence from the Moving Exercise Research in Multiple Sclerosis Forward (MoXFo) initiative and a concluding summary of the state of the literature and future research directions. The panel of experts identified three overall themes (Background and Importance; Understanding and Promoting Exercise Adherence, Compliance and Sustainability and Challenges to Exercise Adherence, Compliance and Sustainability) that represented a categorization of nine subthemes. These overall themes and subthemes formed the basis of our recommendations regarding future research broadly involving exercise adherence in MS. Overall, there is limited evidence on rates and determinants of exercise adherence and compliance in MS, and little is known about techniques and interventions for immediate and long-term exercise behaviour change.

Medication adherence in youths with CKD: habits for success

BACKGROUND

Poor adherence habits are key contributors to nonadherence but there are few clinically feasible methods for evaluating adherence habits, particularly for youths with chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study investigated how participants' qualitative responses to three interview questions about adherence habits mapped to primary principles of habit formation and objectively measured medication adherence in youths with CKD.

METHODS

Participants (ages 11-21 years) were recruited from a pediatric nephrology clinic as part of a larger study. Participants' daily objective antihypertensive medication adherence was measured with an electronic pill bottle over a 4-week baseline period. Qualitative interviews about adherence habits and routines were conducted with a subset of participants (N = 18).

RESULTS

Clear qualitative differences emerged in how participants with high-medium adherence (80-100%) discussed adherence habits compared to participants with low adherence (0-79%). Participants with high-medium adherence discussed situational cues for taking medicine, including locations that cue adherence, step-by-step events leading up to taking medicine, and people who cue adherence. Participants with high-medium adherence regularly described taking medicine as "automatic," "second nature," and a "habit." Participants with low adherence rarely discussed these habit features nor did they explicitly acknowledge currently missing doses. Participants with low adherence tended to discuss challenges with organization and routines for taking medicine.

CONCLUSIONS

Evaluating patient responses to questions about adherence habits may uncover challenges with adherence habit formation, provide direction for habit-strengthening intervention focused on developing automatic cues for taking medication, and support adherence successes for youths with CKD.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT03651596. A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information.

A meta-ethnography of how children and young people with chronic non-cancer pain and their families experience and understand their condition, pain services, and treatments

BACKGROUND

Chronic non-cancer pain in childhood is widespread, affecting 20% to 35% of children and young people worldwide. For a sizeable number of children, chronic non-cancer pain has considerable negative impacts on their lives and quality of life, and leads to increased use of healthcare services and medication. In many countries, there are few services for managing children's chronic non-cancer pain, with many services being inadequate. Fourteen Cochrane Reviews assessing the effects of pharmacological, psychological, psychosocial, dietary or physical activity interventions for managing children's chronic non-cancer pain identified a lack of high-quality evidence to inform pain management. To design and deliver services and interventions that meet the needs of patients and their families, we need to understand how children with chronic non-cancer pain and their families experience pain, their views of services and treatments for chronic pain, and which outcomes are important to them.

OBJECTIVES

1. To synthesise qualitative studies that examine the experiences and perceptions of children with chronic non-cancer pain and their families regarding chronic non-cancer pain, treatments and services to inform the design and delivery of health and social care services, interventions and future research. 2. To explore whether our review findings help to explain the results of Cochrane Reviews of intervention effects of treatments for children's chronic non-cancer pain. 3. To determine if programme theories and outcomes of interventions match children and their families' views of desired treatments and outcomes. 4. To use our findings to inform the selection and design of patient-reported outcome measures for use in chronic non-cancer pain studies and interventions and care provision to children and their families. The review questions are: 1. How do children with chronic non-cancer pain and their families conceptualise chronic pain? 2. How do children with chronic non-cancer pain and their families live with chronic pain? 3. What do children with chronic non-cancer pain and their families think of how health and social care services respond to and manage their child's chronic pain? 4. What do children with chronic non-cancer pain and their families conceptualise as 'good' chronic pain management and what do they want to achieve from chronic pain management interventions and services?

SEARCH METHODS

Review strategy: we comprehensively searched 12 bibliographic databases including MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycInfo and grey literature sources, and conducted supplementary searches in 2020. We updated the database searches in September 2022.

SELECTION CRITERIA

To identify published and unpublished qualitative research with children aged 3 months to 18 years with chronic non-cancer pain and their families focusing on their perceptions, experiences and views of chronic pain, services and treatments. The final inclusion criteria were agreed with a patient and public involvement group of children and young people with chronic non-cancer pain and their families.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We conducted a qualitative evidence synthesis using meta-ethnography, a seven-phase, systematic, interpretive, inductive methodology that takes into account the contexts and meanings of the original studies. We assessed the richness of eligible studies and purposively sampled rich studies ensuring they addressed the review questions. Cochrane Qualitative Methods Implementation Group guidance guided sampling. We assessed the methodological limitations of studies using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool. We extracted data on study aims, focus, characteristics and conceptual findings from study reports using NVivo software. We compared these study data to determine how the studies related to one another and grouped studies by pain conditions for synthesis. We used meta-ethnography to synthesise each group of studies separately before synthesising them all together. Analysis and interpretation of studies involved children with chronic non-cancer pain and their families and has resulted in theory to inform service design and delivery. Sampling, organising studies for synthesis, and analysis and interpretation involved our patient and public involvement group who contributed throughout the conduct of the review. We used the GRADE-CERQual (Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research) approach to assess our confidence in each review finding. We used a matrix approach to integrate our findings with existing Cochrane Reviews on treatment effectiveness for children's chronic non-cancer pain.

MAIN RESULTS

We synthesised 43 studies sampled from 170 eligible studies reported in 182 publications. Included studies involved 633 participants. GRADE-CERQual assessments of findings were mostly high (n = 21, 58%) or moderate (n = 12, 33%) confidence with three (8%) low or very low confidence. Poorly managed, moderate or severe chronic non-cancer pain had profound adverse impacts on family dynamics and relationships; family members' emotions, well-being, autonomy and sense of self-identity; parenting strategies; friendships and socialising; children's education and future employment prospects; and parental employment. Most children and parents understood chronic non-cancer pain as having an underlying biological cause and wanted curative treatment. However, families had difficulties seeking and obtaining support from health services to manage their child's pain and its impacts. Children and parents felt that healthcare professionals did not always listen to their experiences and expertise, or believe the child's pain. Some families repeatedly visited health services seeking a diagnosis and cure. Over time, some children and families gave up hope of effective treatment. Outcomes measured within trials and Cochrane Reviews of intervention effects did not include some outcomes of importance to children and families, including impacts of pain on the whole family and absence of pain. Cochrane Reviews have mainly neglected a holistic biopsychosocial approach, which specifies the interrelatedness of biological, psychological and social aspects of illness, when selecting outcome measures and considering how chronic pain management interventions work.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

We had high or moderate confidence in the evidence contributing to most review findings. Further research, especially into families' experiences of treatments and services, could strengthen the evidence for low or very low confidence findings. Future research should also explore families' experiences in low- to middle-income contexts; of pain treatments including opioid use in children, which remains controversial; and of social care services. We need development and testing of family-centred interventions and services acceptable to families. Future trials of children's chronic non-cancer pain interventions should include family-centred outcomes.

The State of the Art of Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) represents a chronic immune-mediated neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system that generally debuts around the age of 20-30 years. Still, in recent years, MS has been increasingly recognized among the pediatric population, being characterized by several peculiar features compared to adult-onset disease. Unfortunately, the etiology and disease mechanisms are poorly understood, rendering the already limited MS treatment options with uncertain efficacy and safety in pediatric patients. Thus, this review aims to shed some light on the progress in MS therapeutic strategies specifically addressed to children and adolescents. In this regard, the present paper briefly discusses the etiology, risk factors, comorbidities, and diagnosis possibilities for pediatric-onset MS (POMS), further moving to a detailed presentation of current treatment strategies, recent clinical trials, and emerging alternatives. Particularly, promising care solutions are indicated, including new treatment formulations, stem cell therapies, and cognitive training methods.

Barriers and facilitators of antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence habit formation in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from a qualitative study in Kampala, Uganda

RATIONALE

In 2020, nearly 40 million people lived with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) worldwide, of whom 70% were receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). Two-thirds of PLWHA reside in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where rates of viral load suppression are often suboptimal and frequently attributed to low ART adherence. Strong pill-taking habits are often reported as a key strategy among those who successfully maintain medication adherence, yet not enough is known about the barriers and facilitators in SSA to pill-taking in response to the same contextual cue, which is a necessary step in the habit formation process.

OBJECTIVE

To address this knowledge gap and to inform a subsequent intervention to promote context-dependent repetition, called anchoring, we used a formative qualitative approach to collect in-depth narratives about barriers and facilitators of the anchoring intervention for establishing ART pill-taking habits at the Mildmay Hospital in Kampala, Uganda.

METHODS

We conducted interviews with 25 randomly selected patients starting ART, 5 expert patients, and 10 providers at Mildmay, and performed a rapid analysis to inform the intervention in a timely manner.

RESULTS

We found that pill taking in response to the same contextual cue, or anchor, was threatened by stigma and food insecurity and that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these barriers. We also determined that important linguistic changes were needed to the instructional materials and reminder messages in the subsequent intervention to avoid words and phrases with negative connotations for this target population.

CONCLUSIONS

Several important barriers and facilitators to context-dependent pill taking in Uganda were identified through our formative research that helped to inform important revisions to our subsequent intervention. These findings underscore the importance of understanding local barriers and facilitators when designing and planning interventions, particularly when implementing theory-based intervention approaches that have yet to be tested in a new setting.

Medication habits among persons with multiple sclerosis

BACKGROUND

Though habitual behavior is part of medication-taking behavior, studies of adherence to medication among persons with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (PwRRMS) have not prospectively examined habit in relation to disease-modifying treatments (DMTs).

OBJECTIVES

1. Examine habit dimensions - repetition, lack of awareness, and lack of control - across time and route of administration (oral vs. injectable). 2. Examine the association (prospective and cross sectional) of the dimension of repetition and the habit index with adherence and persistence in medication taking and to medication perceptions.

METHODS

PwMS (n = 140), in their first year of treatment with a DMT, were prospectively assessed at three time points: at baseline, 6 months later (Time 1), and 12 months later (Time 2). Clinical and demographic information were obtained in-person, as were patient-reported medication habits and medication perceptions. Adherence and persistence were assessed with a combination of self-reporting and retrospective review of medication claims.

RESULTS

Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), with dimension as the within-subject factor at each time point, indicated that the repetition dimensions at all points were significantly higher than lack of awareness and lack of control dimensions. Repeated measures ANOVA, with time as the within-subject factor and route of administration as between-subject factor, yielded a significant time effect in repetition and lack of awareness dimensions so that they increased across time but not in lack of control; administration route effects were found to be nonsignificant in all dimensions. Repetition at Time 1 was positively associated with patient-reported adherence at this time point (r_s = 0.33, p = 0.002) but this was not consistently found at other time points . Likewise, reported repetition at Time 1 was higher among PwRMS who persisted with their medication a year later than among those who did not persist. Perceptions of medication (concern, harm, and overtreatment) were significantly negatively associated with reported repetition.

CONCLUSIONS

Over time, PwRMS reported an increase in two habit dimensions, repetition and lack of awareness, in medication taking. No significant differences in habit by administration modality were found. The habit dimension of repetition was significantly associated with perceptions of medication, adherence, and prospectively predicted persistence. However, the low values obtained for lack of awareness and lack of control, compared with the higher levels of repetition, indicate that the habit is not well ingrained. Hence, intervention to target habit formation and maintenance, to be tailored to the individual, are a promising venue for enhancing medication adherence and improving disease outcomes.

Inclusion of children with disabilities in qualitative health research: A scoping review

Background

Children with disabilities have the right to participate in health research so their priorities, needs, and experiences are included. Health research based primarily on adult report risks misrepresenting children with disabilities and their needs, and contributes to exclusion and a lack of diversity in the experiences being captured. Prioritizing the participation of children with disabilities enhances the relevance, meaningfulness, and impact of research.

Methods

A scoping review was conducted to critically examine the participation of children with disabilities in qualitative health research. The electronic databases PubMed, PsychInfo, Embase, and Google Scholar were searched. Inclusion criteria included qualitative health studies conducted with children with disabilities, published between 2007 and 2020, and written in English. Articles were screened by two reviewers and the synthesis of data was performed using numeric and content analysis.

Results

A total of 62 studies met inclusion criteria. Rationales for including children with disabilities included child-focused, medical model of disability, and disability rights rationales. Participation of children with disabilities in qualitative health research was limited, with the majority of studies conducting research on rather than in partnership with or by children. Findings emphasize that children with disabilities are not participating in the design and implementation of health research.

Conclusion

Further effort should be made by health researchers to incorporate children with a broad range of impairments drawing on theory and methodology from disability and childhood studies and collaborating with people who have expertise in these areas. Furthermore, an array of multi-method inclusive, accessible, adaptable, and non-ableist methods should be available to enable different ways of expression.

Risk of Persistent Disability in Patients With Pediatric-Onset Multiple Sclerosis

Importance

Availability of new disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) and changes of therapeutic paradigms have led to a general improvement of multiple sclerosis (MS) prognosis in adults. It is still unclear whether this improvement also involves patients with pediatric-onset MS (POMS), whose early management is more challenging.

Objective

To evaluate changes in the prognosis of POMS over time in association with changes in therapeutic and managing standards.

Design, Setting, and Participants

Retrospective, multicenter, observational study. Data were extracted and collected in May 2019 from the Italian MS Registry, a digital database including more than 59 000 patients. Inclusion criteria were MS onset before age 18 years, diagnosis before January 2014, and disease duration of at least 3 years. Exclusion criteria were primary progressive MS, Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score of at least 8 one year after onset, unavailability of diagnosis date, and less than 2 EDSS score evaluations. Eligible patients were 4704 patients with POMS. According to these criteria, we enrolled 3198 patients, excluding 1506.

Exposures

We compared time to reach disability milestones by epoch of MS diagnosis (<1993, 1993-1999, 2000-2006, and 2007-2013), adjusting for possible confounders linked to EDSS evaluations and clinical disease activity. We then analyzed the difference among the 4 diagnosis epochs regarding demographic characteristics, clinical disease activity at onset, and DMTs management.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Disability milestones were EDSS score 4.0 and 6.0, confirmed in the following clinical evaluation and in the last available visit.

Results

We enrolled 3198 patients with POMS (mean age at onset, 15.2 years; 69% female; median time to diagnosis, 3.2 years; annualized relapse rate in first 1 and 3 years, 1.3 and 0.6, respectively), with a mean (SD) follow-up of 21.8 (11.7) years. Median survival times to reach EDSS score of 4.0 and 6.0 were 31.7 and 40.5 years. The cumulative risk of reaching disability milestones gradually decreased over time, both for EDSS score of 4.0 (hazard ratio [HR], 0.70; 95% CI, 0.58-0.83 in 1993-1999; HR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.38-0.60 in 2000-2006; and HR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.32-0.59 in 2007-2013) and 6.0 (HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.57-0.90; HR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.33-0.60; and HR, 0.30; 0.20-0.46). In later diagnosis epochs, a greater number of patients with POMS were treated with DMTs, especially high-potency drugs, that were given earlier and for a longer period. Demographic characteristics and clinical disease activity at onset did not change significantly over time.

Conclusions and Relevance

In POMS, the risk of persistent disability has been reduced by 50% to 70% in recent diagnosis epochs, probably owing to improvement in therapeutic and managing standards.

Needs and Experiences of Children and Adolescents with Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis and Their Caregivers: A Systematic Review

In the present study we conduct a systematic review to evaluate the needs and experience of people with pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS) and their caregivers. The literature search was conducted across 10 academic databases, adhering to PRISMA-P guidelines. Quality appraisal was conducted using the mixed method appraisal test for individual studies, and GRADE-CERQual to establish overall confidence of findings. Results were analyzed using a process of narrative synthesis. We identified 26 studies which included 2253 children/adolescents with MS (CAMS) and 1608 caregivers. MS was reported to negatively impact experiences for CAMS in domains such as of school performance, social relationships, mental health, and overall physical functioning. Specifically, fatigue and social support were reported as the most important barriers and facilitators for CAMS, respectively. In terms of caregiver experience, negative impacts were reported on social functioning, mental health, and quality of life. Additionally, lack of awareness concerning MS was one of the biggest challenges reported. Caregivers expressed needs for psychological and social support. This study provides the first evidence regarding the needs and experiences of CAMS and their caregivers. Findings can be used to address policy gaps for supporting families affected by pediatric MS.

Long-term fingolimod treatment in two pediatric patients with multiple sclerosis

Data suggest that patients with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) should initiate treatment with a disease-modifying therapy early to slow progression. The PARADIGMS trial demonstrated that oral fingolimod reduced the annual rate of relapse by 82% compared with intramuscular interferon beta-1a in children with POMS. The PARADIGMS study had a follow-up of 2 years, but no data are available about the safety and efficacy of fingolimod for longer periods in children with POMS. Here we present two cases of children with POMS who achieved sustained clinical benefit from treatment with fingolimod for more than 2 years. The first patient, an 11-year-old male, who participate in the PARADIGMS study, was treatment naïve at the time of fingolimod initiation. His clinical condition remained stable over 5 years of treatment, with no relapses and no radiological lesion progression. The second patient was a female who initiated fingolimod at the age of 12 years, 2 years after her POMS diagnosis and after an 8-month trial of interferon beta-1a. The patient had experienced two relapses during interferon beta-1a but had no relapses in more than 2 years of treatment with fingolimod, and her MRI scans showed no new or active lesions. These data show that prolonged treatment with fingolimod can be safe and effective during long-term treatment as first- or second-line therapy in children with POMS.

Habit formation in support of antiretroviral medication adherence in clinic-enrolled HIV-infected adults: a qualitative assessment using free-listing and unstructured interviewing in Kampala, Uganda

Background

Despite initial high motivation, individuals receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) for several years may experience incomplete adherence over time, increasing their risk of HIV-related morbidity and mortality. Habits, defined as automatic and regular practices, do not rely on conscious effort, and may therefore support high long-term ART adherence.

Methods

This qualitative study contributes to the evidence on how clients with adherence problems remember and form habits to take ART medications. Free-listing and unstructured interviewing were used among 42 clinic-enrolled adults in Kampala, Uganda who were receiving ART and participating in a randomized clinical trial for treatment adherence (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03494777). Data were coded and analyzed using inductive content analysis.

Results

Findings indicated that clients’ most routine habits (eating, bathing, sleeping) did not always occur at the same time or place, making it difficult to reliably link to pill-taking times. Efforts to improve ART habits included having a relative to ask about pill-taking, re-packaging medications, leaving medications in view, using alarms, carrying water, or linking pill-taking to radio/prayer schedules. Reported challenges were adhering to ART schedules during changing employment hours, social activities, and travel.

Conclusion

While habit-forming interventions have the potential to improve ART adherence, targeting treatment-mature clients’ existing routines may be crucial in this population.

Improving Outcomes in Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis: Current and Emerging Treatments

Pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (MS) comprises 2-5% of MS cases, and is known to be associated with high disease activity and the accumulation of disability at an earlier age than their adult-onset counterparts. Appropriate therapy leading to disease control has the potential to alter the known trajectory of adverse long-term physical, cognitive, and psychosocial outcomes in this population. Thus, optimizing treatment for children and adolescents with MS is of paramount importance. The last decade has seen a growing number of disease-modifying therapies approved for relapsing MS in adults, and available agents now include oral, injectable, and infusion therapies. Recently, the development of randomized controlled MS trials in youth has led to the first agent approved by the US FDA for the treatment of pediatric MS-fingolimod. With this, we have entered a new era of knowledge and treatment in this population and ongoing pediatric trials are expected to further inform clinical management. With the emergence of highly effective therapies targeting the inflammatory component of the disease, there has been increased interest in identifying treatment strategies that instead target mechanisms such as remyelination/repair, neuroprotection, or rehabilitation. The potential role for such emerging therapies in the treatment of pediatric MS remains an important area of study. In this review, we discuss current evidence for MS therapies in children including the treatment of acute relapses, disease-modifying therapies, and symptomatic management. We will also discuss evidence for emerging therapies, including remyelinating and neuroprotective agents.

The impact of pharmacological treatment on patients with multiple sclerosis

BACKGROUND

Multiple sclerosis has considerable effects on patients' quality of life, limiting their daily activities and influencing their lifestyle. Additionally, adapting to pharmacological treatments represents a challenge for many patients.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to explore the views and experiences of Spanish patients with multiple sclerosis regarding their pharmacological treatment.

METHODS

A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted with 20 patients with Multiple Sclerosis from a hospital Neurology Unit. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and researchers' field notes. A systematic text condensation analysis was performed. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research and the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research guidelines were followed.

RESULTS

Twenty patients with Multiple Sclerosis completed the study. The mean age was 39.7 years (SD: 9,17). A thematic description of all the data collected was performed based on four descriptive themes which emerged from the analysed material: a) Undergoing the injections, b) Coping strategies, with two subthemes, resignation and integrating the treatment into their life, c) Other methods of pharmacological administration, and d) Dealing with discomfort. For patients with multiple sclerosis, their experience with pharmacological treatment is an apprenticeship which is sometimes met with resignation and discomfort. Patients must learn to take responsibility for their treatment, seeking other routes of administration, as well as integrating these changes into their daily life.

CONCLUSIONS

Qualitative research offers insight into the way patients with Multiple Sclerosis experience their pharmacological treatment, and may be helpful in establishing a fruitful relationship with these patients.

Adherence to Aerosol Therapy in Young People With Cystic Fibrosis: Patient and Parent Perspectives Following Electronic Data Capture

The benefits of improved treatments for cystic fibrosis (CF) depend on optimal adherence, which remains problematic, particularly to aerosol therapy. In this study, we explored the process of adhering to aerosol therapy from the perspective of both adolescents with CF and their parents. Interviews were conducted individually with six adolescents and six parents, informed by accurate adherence data from an electronically chipped, aerosol device. Interview transcripts from audio-recordings were analyzed using grounded theory method (GTM). Major themes revealed differences in perspective between parent and adolescent, with this relationship mediating the cognitive and emotional processes that play a significant role in adherence behavior. These processes are further influenced by interactions with the aerosol therapy treatment regimen, device characteristics, and the context in which adherence is taking place. Parents and adolescents have different views of treatment and how to manage it. Both need to be addressed if optimal adherence is to be achieved.