Assessment of Oral Chemotherapy Nonadherence in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patients Using Brief Measures in Community Cancer Clinics: A Pilot Study

Terry C. Davis, Connie L. Arnold, Glenn Mills, Glenn J. Lesser, W. Mark Brown, Richard Schulz, Kathryn E. Weaver and Pamala A. Pawloski
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Terry C. Davis: Department of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health—Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71130, USA
Connie L. Arnold: Department of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health—Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71130, USA
Glenn Mills: Department of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health—Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71130, USA
Glenn J. Lesser: Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
W. Mark Brown: Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
Richard Schulz: College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
Kathryn E. Weaver: Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
Pamala A. Pawloski: Metro-Minnesota Community Oncology Research Consortium, St. Louis Park, MN 55416, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 21, 1-12

Abstract: The purpose of this pilot study was to assess Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) patients’ adherence to, beliefs about, and barriers to oral anticancer agents (OAC) using brief self-report measures in community-based cancer clinics. Patients completed a structured interview including a health literacy assessment, a Brief Medication Questionnaire, two single-item self-report adherence questions, and the Medications Adherence Reasons Scale. Of the 86 participants, 88.4% were white; 55.8% male; mean age, 58.7 years; and 22.1% had limited health literacy. Nonadherence (missing at least one dose in the last week) was reported by 18.6% of participants and associated ( p < 0.003) with less-than-excellent perceived ability to take CML medications (16.3%). Black participants reported more difficulty taking CML medications than white participants (28.6% vs. 8.3%, p = 0.053). Among all participants, 43.0% reported their CML medicine was ineffective and 24.4% that taking CML pills was somewhat to very hard. The most common reasons for missing a dose were simply missed it (24.4%) and side effects (18.6%). Most patients perceived their ability to take CML medication was good to excellent, yet nearly one in five reported missing at least one dose in the last week. Brief, no-cost self-report assessments to screen CML patients’ OAC adherence, barriers, and beliefs could facilitate counseling in busy community cancer clinics.

Keywords: chronic myelogenous leukemia; antineoplastic agents; medication adherence; self-report; health literacy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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