Showing papers by "Thierry Christiaens published in 2020"

Eye drop technique and patient-reported problems in a real-world population of eye drop users.

Abstract: To assess eye drop technique and patient-reported problems with eye drop instillation in a primary care sample of eye drop users. Cross-sectional observational study in 136 community pharmacies in Belgium. Patient inclusion criteria were being age ≥ 18 years and using eye drops for ≥ 1 month (to ensure that patients were already familiar with eye drop instillation). Participants demonstrated their eye drop technique and completed a self-administered questionnaire. Participants (n = 678) had a mean age of 68.9 ± 12.4 years. During the demonstration, almost everyone (98.0%) successfully instilled at least one drop in the eye, although 14% required multiple attempts to achieve this. Only 3% of the sample exhibited perfect drop technique, meaning that they performed correctly all the steps. Most common deviations were touching the bottle to the eye or eyelid (40.7% of patients), and failing to close the eye (67.8%) and perform nasolacrimal occlusion for at least 1 min (94.7%) after drop instillation. Importantly, we found that 20% of ophthalmic suspensions were not shaken before use. Forty percent of patients reported ≥ 1 problem with eye drop instillation. Most common problems were difficulties with getting a drop in the eye (18.3% of patients), too many drops coming out of the bottle (14.6%), and difficulty squeezing the bottle (12.2%). About half of the sample recalled having had education in eye drop instillation technique. This study showed suboptimal eye drop technique in real-world clinical practice. A proactive role of community pharmacists in detecting and resolving these problems could be helpful.

Community pharmacy-based study of adherence to non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants.

Abstract: Objective This study aimed to assess implementation adherence (how well the patient’s actual intake matches the prescribed dosing regimen) to non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) and to explore experiences with and beliefs about NOACs in a real-world sample of long-term NOAC users Methods A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in home-dwelling adults who started taking a NOAC at least 1 year prior to inclusion Pharmacy dispensing data were used to calculate the Medication Possession Ratio (MPR) Patients were recruited in 158 community pharmacies in Flanders, Belgium They completed a questionnaire collecting basic characteristics and exploring self-reported adherence to NOACs (using the Medication Adherence Report Scale, MARS) and experiences with and beliefs about NOACs (using the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire, BMQ) Results A total of 766 patients (mean age 762±88 years, median CHA2DS2-VASc score 4 (IQR=3–4)) were included The majority (935%) used NOAC for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation The median MPR was 952% (IQR=878–997) which corresponds with half of the study population not taking their NOAC on at least 17 cumulative days per year Almost 21% of participants reported non-adherence on the MARS (score Conclusions Our data indicate that long-term NOAC users have high implementation adherence and a positive attitude towards NOAC therapy However, taking into account patients’ thromboembolic risk and NOACs’ short half-lives, further optimisation of NOAC use seems warranted in this population

Discontinuation of long‐term antidepressant use for depressive and anxiety disorders in adults

Abstract: This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows:. To assess the feasibility and safety of discontinuation of long-term antidepressant use for depressive and anxiety disorders in adults aged over 18 years.