<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>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) (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001). Based on the Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS-5), 44.4 % (<italic>n</italic> = 182) of the participants were non-adherers, out of which 63.2 % (<italic>n</italic> = 115) were unintentional and 36.8 % (<italic>n</italic> = 67) intentional non-adherers. Significantly higher concern beliefs were found among patients that were younger (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001), employed (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001), intentionally non-adherent to AET (<italic>p</italic> = 0.006), had a lower body-mass index (<italic>p</italic> = 0.005) and a higher level of education (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001), were premenopausal at the time of diagnosis (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001), taking tamoxifen treatment (<italic>p</italic> = 0.05) and receiving ovarian suppression (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001). Younger patients should be recognized as being at risk of non-adherence as they hold greater concern beliefs about medicines.</p>
</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.

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

University of Zagreb Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology

University of Zagreb Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry

Acta Pharmaceutica

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

This observational, cross-sectional study conducted at the University Hospital Centre Zagreb (UHC Zagreb) aimed to explore patients’ beliefs about adjuvant...

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

Published Online: Dec 26, 2023

Page range: 673 - 689

Accepted: Nov 23, 2023

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

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

© 2023 Ana Dugonjić Okroša et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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

Published Online: Dec 26, 2023

Page range: 673 - 689

Accepted: Nov 23, 2023

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

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

© 2023 Ana Dugonjić Okroša et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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