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. 2022 Apr 22;12(4):e059674.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-059674.

Developing a medication adherence technologies repository: proposed structure and protocol for an online real-time Delphi study

Urska Nabergoj Makovec  1 , Catherine Goetzinger  2   3 , Janette Ribaut  4   5 , Pilar Barnestein-Fonseca  6   7 , Frederik Haupenthal  8 , Maria Teresa Herdeiro  9 , Sean Patrick Grant  10 , Cristina Jácome  11   12 , Fatima Roque  13 , Dins Smits  14 , Ivana Tadic  15 , Alexandra L Dima  16   17 ; European Network to Advance Best practices and technoLogy on medication adherencE (ENABLE); European Network to Advance Best Practices and TechnoLogy on Medication AdherencE (ENABLE)
Collaborators, Affiliations

Developing a medication adherence technologies repository: proposed structure and protocol for an online real-time Delphi study

Urska Nabergoj Makovec et al. BMJ Open. .

Abstract

Introduction: An online interactive repository of available medication adherence technologies may facilitate their selection and adoption by different stakeholders. Developing a repository is among the main objectives of the European Network to Advance Best practices and technoLogy on medication adherencE (ENABLE) COST Action (CA19132). However, meeting the needs of diverse stakeholders requires careful consideration of the repository structure.

Methods and analysis: A real-time online Delphi study by stakeholders from 39 countries with research, practice, policy, patient representation and technology development backgrounds will be conducted. Eleven ENABLE members from 9 European countries formed an interdisciplinary steering committee to develop the repository structure, prepare study protocol and perform it. Definitions of medication adherence technologies and their attributes were developed iteratively through literature review, discussions within the steering committee and ENABLE Action members, following ontology development recommendations. Three domains (product and provider information (D1), medication adherence descriptors (D2) and evaluation and implementation (D3)) branching in 13 attribute groups are proposed: product and provider information, target use scenarios, target health conditions, medication regimen, medication adherence management components, monitoring/measurement methods and targets, intervention modes of delivery, target behaviour determinants, behaviour change techniques, intervention providers, intervention settings, quality indicators and implementation indicators. Stakeholders will evaluate the proposed definition and attributes' relevance, clarity and completeness and have multiple opportunities to reconsider their evaluations based on aggregated feedback in real-time. Data collection will stop when the predetermined response rate will be achieved. We will quantify agreement and perform analyses of process indicators on the whole sample and per stakeholder group.

Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval for the COST ENABLE activities was granted by the Malaga Regional Research Ethics Committee. The Delphi protocol was considered compliant regarding data protection and security by the Data Protection Officer from University of Basel. Findings from the Delphi study will form the basis for the ENABLE repository structure and related activities.

Keywords: health informatics; public health; social medicine.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: SPG is a research team member for ExpertLens (an online platform and methodology for conducting modified-Delphi studies). SPG's spouse is a salaried employee of, and owns stock in, Eli Lilly and Company.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The interactive graph showing the framework of attributes for medication adherence technologies (MATech) (‘the MATech tree’). The MATech tree is available as interactive feature in the.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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