Barriers and Facilitators for Medication Adherence in Stroke Patients: A Qualitative Study Conducted in French Neurological Rehabilitation Units

Objective: To describe the perceptions of French patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals on stroke and secondary preventive medications. Method: A qualitative study was conducted, based on four predetermined topics: stroke, secondary prevention medications, patient's experience, relationship between patient/caregiver and healthcare team. Results: Twenty-six interviews were conducted. Difficulties in taking medications, lack of knowledge on stroke and medication benefits, fear of overmedication were identified as barriers for adherence in patients. Doubts about generic drugs were expressed by caregivers. Healthcare professionals reported lack of knowledge and absence of clinical symptoms as barriers. On the other hand, support from caregivers and healthcare professional support is essential for compliance in all participants. Patients and caregivers expressed that fear of recurrence was a facilitator for treatment compliance. Conclusion: This study highlights the barriers and facilitators for stroke treatment adherence and underlines the similarities and differences between the perceptions of patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals. These results must be integrated into the future French educational programs to improve medication adherence. (C) 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel