Document Type

Honors Thesis

Abstract

Older adults taking multiple medications are at high risk for experiencing adverse drug events that result in hospitalization. Nurses are one of the first points of contact for patients and serve as patient educators. Many factors influence medication adherence, such as the patient-provider relationship and patient self-efficacy. This study aims to assess what impact patient self-efficacy has on the interaction between the patient-provider relationship and medication adherence.

The sample comprises adults aged 50 or older taking five or more medications. The Medication Understanding and Use Self-Efficacy (MUSE) Scale was used to measure patient self-efficacy and the patient-provider relationship while the Medicine Review Form was used to measure medication adherence. Pearson correlation tests and linear regression with a moderator were performed to analyze relationships among variables. The regression analysis failed to yield any significant results while the correlation tests reinforced established literature, which suggests that self-efficacy improves with patient-provider relationship. The lack of significant results could be explained by a variety of factors, including the lack of availability of valid tools to measure the research variables, study design limitations, and resident inexperience and turnover. Nevertheless, as healthcare professionals, nurses must understand the factors that influence medication adherence. Continued research should be focused on these factors to understand better how to facilitate effective patient interactions.

Disciplines

Family Medicine | Family Practice Nursing | Geriatric Nursing

Publication Date

5-2025

Language

English

Faculty Mentor of Honors Project

Yan Xiao

Comments

I would like to thank my mentor, Dr. Yan Xiao, for orienting me to the research process. His willingness and dedication to education have allowed me to become more familiar with the research process and its significance in the field of Nursing. I thank him for all his help in getting this final product to where it is now.

I would also like to thank my friends and family. Their unwavering support and unconditional love in all facets of my life have allowed me to take on challenging projects – research, nursing, internships – and complete them. My desire to pursue nursing and explore my research interest is largely inspired by my belief that what I learn in these fields can benefit them and others like them in my practice. I thank them for remaining by my side and guiding me to this point in my life.

License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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