What Do Patients with Long-Term Conditions Disclose About Medication Adherence During and After Hospital Discharge? A Qualitative Study at an Internal Medicines Ward in Norway

Purpose

To explore how patients’ life circumstances, perceptions, lived experiences and behaviors may influence medication adherence in the social context surrounding hospital discharge. Patients and Methods: Ten patients aged 48– 89 years were included at a hospital ward close to the presumed day of discharge, observed during healthcare personnel (HCP) encounters and interviewed 1– 2 weeks after discharge. Medication adherence was reconstructed through medication reconciliation and by comparing observations of hospital encounters and discharge information with patients’ post-discharge accounts of medication use. Data were analyzed using content analysis to identify themes across participants and narratives to explore individual experiences.