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Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.2478/acph-2023-0043

Beliefs about medicines' association with endocrine therapy adherence in early breast cancer survivors in Croatia

ANA DUGONJIĆ OKROŠA ; Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices of Croatia, Zagreb, Croatia
TAJANA SILOVSKI ; Department of Oncology, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia; University of Zagreb Medical School, Zagreb, Croatia
NATALIJA DEDIĆ PLAVETIĆ ; Department of Oncology, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia; University of Zagreb Medical School, Zagreb, Croatia
HRVOJE SILOVSKI ; University of Zagreb Medical School, Zagreb, Croatia; Department of Surgery, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
ANA KOVAČIĆ ; University of Zagreb Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, Zagreb, Croatia
IVA MUCALO orcid id orcid.org/0000-0002-5566-9356 ; University of Zagreb Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Zagreb, Croatia *

* Corresponding author.


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Abstract

This observational, cross-sectional study conducted at the University Hospital Centre Zagreb (UHC Zagreb) aimed to explore patients' beliefs about adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET) as well as their association with non-adherence and sociodemographic and clinical factors. Out of 420 early breast cancer (BC) patients included in the study, 79.5 % perceived AET necessary and important for their health, as measured by the Belief About Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ), with the mean necessity score (20.4 ± 3.68) significantly higher than the mean concerns score (13 ± 4.81) (p < 0.001). Based on the Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS-5), 44.4 % (n = 182) of the participants were non-adherers, out of which 63.2 % (n =115) were unintentional and 36.8 % (n = 67) intentional non-adherers. Significantly higher concern beliefs were found among patients that were younger (p < 0.001), employed (p < 0.001), intentionally non-adherent to AET (p = 0.006), had a lower body-mass index (p = 0.005) and a higher level of education (p < 0.001), were premenopausal at the time of diagnosis (p < 0.001), taking tamoxifen treatment (p = 0.05) and receiving ovarian suppression (p < 0.001). Younger patients should be recognized as being at risk of non-adherence as they hold greater concern beliefs about medicines.
Keywords: breast cancer, adjuvant endocrine therapy, beliefs about medicines, medication adherence, sociodemographic factors, clinical factors, hormone-positive breast cancer survivors

Keywords

breast cancer; adjuvant endocrine therapy; beliefs about medicines; medication adherence; sociodemographic factors, clinical factors, hormone-positive breast cancer survivors

Hrčak ID:

310114

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/310114

Publication date:

30.12.2023.

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