dc.contributor.author | Alharbi, Amal Bandar | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2023-07-18T11:21:41Z | |
dc.date.available | 2023-07-18T11:21:41Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2023-04-28 | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/2299/26514 | |
dc.description.abstract | Background: Patient safety is a recognised public health issue. When post-market medication
safety information emerges, the benefits and risks of the medication concerned are usually
evaluated by drug regulatory agencies. The outcomes of such pharmacovigilance activities are
communicated to the public, patients and other healthcare professionals (HCPs). The aim of
these medication safety communications might vary from improving the intended recipients’
knowledge or attitudes to outlining specific actions to be followed by them. However, it is
currently recognised that sharing medication-related information does not improve patients’
safety on its own if not accompanied by an accurate implementation of these recommendations
in clinical practice. Despite their importance in protecting patient safety and subsequently
affecting public health, no previous study was found to have evaluated or described the process
of creating and disseminating medication safety communications by the Kuwaiti drug
regulatory agency. Equally, no study was found to have investigated the impact of or the factors
affecting the implementation of regulatory-related medication safety communications in
Kuwait. Therefore, this thesis aimed to address these gaps in knowledge by evaluating
medication safety communications in the patient healthcare pathway in Kuwait.
Methods: This multiphase study was preceded by a systematic literature review of the factors
affecting HCPs’ implementation of regulatory-related medication safety communications,
using a narrative synthesis approach. Following the systematic review, multiphase research
was initiated. This consisted of three phases, each of which focused on a specific stakeholder
group involved in the process of medication safety communication. Phase 1 involved Kuwait
Drug and Food Control (KDFC), an administration within the Ministry of Health (MOH), as
the regulatory agency responsible for pharmacovigilance activities. This was a convergent
mixed-methods study. Data collection in this phase included documents produced by KDFC or
issued to KDFC relating to medication safety and three face-to-face interviews with KDFC
employees involved in pharmacovigilance activities. Documents were analysed using a
descriptive quantitative approach and a framework analysis technique.
Phase 2 focused on healthcare professionals working in MOH hospitals in Kuwait. This phase
was an exploratory mixed-methods study, where focus group discussions were conducted
followed by the distribution of an online survey. The focus group discussions were analysed
using a thematic analysis technique. In the second part of this phase, an online survey was
developed based on Phase 1, the focus group discussions and the systematic literature review.
Survey data analysis included descriptive analysis (frequency and percentile) and statistical
analysis including principal component analysis (PCA) and the Kruskal–Wallis H test, which
was followed by a post hoc analysis of variables that had significant results. Other statistical
tests applied included Fisher’s exact test, the Mann–Whitney U Test, and multivariate
regression analysis. Participants’ answers to open-ended survey questions were analysed using
a conventional content analysis technique.
Phase 3 was an interpretive phenomenology study. This phase involved semi-structured phone
interviews with six female patients of childbearing age who used a valproate-related
medication for epilepsy or migraine. These patients had been prescribed the valproate-related
medication in one of six secondary hospitals and one specialist neurology hospital within the
MOH hospitals. An interpretive phenomenological analysis technique was applied to analyse
the transcripts.
Results: The results of the systematic literature review indicated that the factors affecting
HCPs’ implementation of medication safety communications occur at multiple levels. These
levels included the sources or senders of the safety information (delays in the delivery of
medications safety communications), healthcare institutions (hospitals’ position and
interpretations of the recommendations), the HCPs (knowledge of the content of medications
safety communications), and the patients and/or their carers (willingness to use the medication
concerned). Phase 1 revealed a lack of legislation and a pharmacovigilance-specific policy.
Results from Phase 2 reflected poor knowledge of the concept of medication safety
communications within the context of pharmacovigilance and a lack of familiarity with the
tools used by KDFC to communicate emerging medication information among HCPs. In the
survey, although the majority of HCPs who responded were aware of the teratogenicity of
VRM (65.1%, (n = 110/169)), only 2.6% had responded correctly to the statements of the VRM
KDFC recommendations. More than half of the participants (57%) reported changing their
practice to accommodate at least one intended KDFC recommendation. Providing female
patients with written information (37.2%) and counselling female patients about contraceptive
use (37.2%) were the most reported intended changes in practice. The most reported barriers
to implementation included not having the capacity in terms of time and/or the infrastructure
to implement the recommendations (33.8%).
Four themes originating from patient interviews included (1) the timeline of the patient’s
experience (2) varied knowledge and perception with valproate use, (3) patient’s expectations
from HCPs and (4) experiences and preferences towards medication safety communications.
Conclusion: Medication safety communications are essential tools for disseminating
information related to medication safety updates to HCPs, patients and the public. This research
identified challenges at the level of the sender (KDFC) and the intended recipients (HCPs and
patients) that could reduce the ability of KDFC’s medication safety communications to reach
clinical practices. The first step in increasing their reach is to adapt electronic methods for
disseminating such information. Involving stakeholders, such as HCPs and patients, in
evaluating the clarity and understandability of KDFC’s medication safety communications
should be the focus of future research. | en_US |
dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
dc.rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess | en_US |
dc.rights | Attribution 3.0 United States | * |
dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/ | * |
dc.subject | Medication safety communications | en_US |
dc.subject | Pharmacovigilance | en_US |
dc.subject | Kuwait | en_US |
dc.subject | Valproate risk minimisation measures | en_US |
dc.title | An Evaluation of Medication Safety related Communications in the Patient Healthcare Pathway in Kuwait | en_US |
dc.type | info:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesis | en_US |
dc.identifier.doi | doi:10.18745/th.26514 | * |
dc.identifier.doi | 10.18745/th.26514 | |
dc.type.qualificationlevel | Doctoral | en_US |
dc.type.qualificationname | PhD | en_US |
dcterms.dateAccepted | 2023-04-28 | |
rioxxterms.funder | Default funder | en_US |
rioxxterms.identifier.project | Default project | en_US |
rioxxterms.version | NA | en_US |
rioxxterms.licenseref.uri | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ | en_US |
rioxxterms.licenseref.startdate | 2023-07-18 | |
herts.preservation.rarelyaccessed | true | |
rioxxterms.funder.project | ba3b3abd-b137-4d1d-949a-23012ce7d7b9 | en_US |