RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Medication adherence is one of the key elements of the management of patients with chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases (CIRDs), adherence/medication regimes are prone to being influenced by beliefs about medicines; such beliefs can influence the management and quality of life of patients. Several factors may be associated with these beliefs, including demographic and clinical factors, as well as socio-psychological factors. The aim of this study is to assess beliefs regarding medications among Moroccan patients with CIRDs, the factors associated with these beliefs, and the correlation of these factors with medication adherence. MATERIAL AND METHOD: This cross-sectional study included patients with CIRDs. Sociodemographic data, comorbidities, and information about CIRDs (type, disease duration, pain evaluation, disease activity and treatments) were collected. Beliefs regarding medication were assessed by the Belief about Medicine Questionnaire (BMQ). Therapeutic adherence was assessed using the Arabic version of the Compliance Questionnaire in Rheumatology (CQR). Sociopsychological factors, such as catastrophism and trust in physicians, were assessed by the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) and the Trust in Physicians Scale (TPS), respectively. RESULT: Our sample included 189 patients. The average age was 47.49 ± 13.7; 52.4% had comorbidities; and 49.2% had a low level of education. Of the patients, 49.7% were on glucocorticoids, 61.9% on conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and 6.3% on biologics. The median necessity-concern differential was 6 [1-12]. Of the patients, 67.4% strongly believed that medication was essential to maintain their health. The long-term side effects were the main concerns about medicines (51.3%). In a multivariate analysis, there was a statistically significant association between low level of education, catastrophizing, methotrexate use, and trust in the physician as independent factors and the BMQ necessity-concern differential as the dependent factor. There was also a significant correlation between CQR and the BMQ necessity score. CONCLUSION: Moroccan patients with CIRDs have a rather positive perception of their medication. This perception seems to influence their adherence to treatment. Low levels of education, catastrophizing, methotrexate use, and trust in physicians are the most important factors associated with patients' beliefs regarding medication.
RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the use of social media (SM) as a source of health information among patients with chronic low back pain (LBP) and to evaluate the factors associated with this use. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study involving patients with chronic LBP. Information on their sociodemographics, LBP characteristics, and comorbidities was collected. With the use of a questionnaire, we evaluated the use of SM as a source of information, examining the frequency of use, the type of SM used, and degree of confidence and application of information found. Catastrophising, trust in physicians, and concerns regarding medicines were assessed through the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), Trust in Physician Scale (TPS) and Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ Specific Concerns). A regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with the use of SM. RESULTS: A total of 118 patients were included. The mean age was 53.01 ± 14.09 years. Of the sample, 68.6% sought information regarding their LBP on social networks. The main source was YouTube (30%). Eighteen point six percent of patients trusted the information found through SM, and 16.1% have already acted on some of this information. The majority of patients (82%) would prefer to have healthcare professionals in their virtual spaces to answer their questions. In a multivariate analysis, only the degree of trust in the physician was negatively associated with SM use (OR = 0.95 IC 95% [0.91-0.99]; p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: This survey showed that a proportion of patients suffering from chronic LBP use SM, YouTube in particular, as a source of health information. The level of trust in physicians was the strongest factor that impelled people to use SM as a source of health information.