Impact of beliefs about medication on the relationship between trust in physician with medication adherence after stroke

Objective: To investigate the relationship between medication adherence, trust in physician and beliefs about medication among stroke survivors. To determine whether beliefs about medication would mediate the relationship between trust in physician and medication adherence. Methods: A sample of 200 patients with a diagnosis of ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) completed a one-time survey, including the shortened Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS-5), Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ), and Trust in Physician Scale (TIPS). Results: Our study found that medication adherence was associated with trust in physician (p = 0.019) and four factors of beliefs about medication (BMQ1-Necessity: p < 0.001; BMQ2-Concerns: p = 0.024; BMQ3-Overuse: p = 0.016; BMQ4-Harm: p < 0.001). Furthermore, we found monthly income of survivors moderated the relationship between trust in physician and medication adherence (p = 0.007, CI(95%): [-0.822, -0.132]). Conclusions: The beliefs about medication mediating the relationship between trust in physician and medication adherence were different based on the stroke survivors' income bracket. Practice implications: Interventions being developed to improve medication adherence may benefit from improving stroke survivors' trust in physician and addressing their beliefs about medication. In addition, healthcare providers are advised to take monthly income into consideration to effectively address stroke survivors' concerns regarding prescribed medications to mitigate stroke recurrence. (C) 2021 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Automated summary

This study examined the relationship between medication adherence, trust in physician, and beliefs about medication among stroke survivors. The findings revealed that beliefs about medication played a mediating role between trust in physician and medication adherence. Additionally, the income level of stroke survivors moderated the relationship between trust in physician and medication adherence.