Table 2.
Representative Statements from Patients Highlighting Key Drivers Affecting Medication Adherence in Asthma
| Theme | Quote |
|---|---|
| Doubts about the accuracy of asthma diagnosis | “Not every GP has pulmonary function test equipment and (even when he possesses the equipment) can make accurate diagnoses”33 “ … maybe even people in general sometimes have trouble breathing … I don’t know what’s normal”32 |
| Daily life is unaffected by asthma | “I don’t use it at all … right after I come from the doctor’s, I take it for 2 to 3 days and then I just forget. It is not that I don’t want to take it, it is that I forget to take it … if I had more symptoms, then I would take it”25 “I think it [diabetes] makes me lose sight of my asthma until something, you know, until I can’t breathe or it’s hot out or something”28 “Don’t need to take any medication until the pollen season comes. Maybe when it’s really cold”38 |
| Patient-physician communication | “When I go to my appointment, they try to rush, get you in there, rush you out, get you some stuff, take this, do this”29 “We never actually sat down and made a plan”29 |
| Suboptimal knowledge of reliever and maintenance medications | “I was like supposed to take so many puffs a day, and I over use it”18 |
| Suboptimal inhaler technique | “Have you taken or inhaled the full dose, or not? You never know”34 |
| Perceived concerns about side effects | “I had to take steroids, which has made me gain weight, which has sort of kept me from exercising”40 “ … when I take my medicine, sometimes I still get sick. When I don’t take my medicine, I don’t get sick. I really don’t see where it comes in handy, but I guess if the doctor says I need it, I need it”25 |
| Stigma of inhaler use | “I hate feeling like I’m different. I have a problem when it comes to that and I hold off on my medicine. As you get older, you care what people think more. So I try to hold [asthma medication] off and be cool”29 |
| Perceived medication affordability | “My physician told me to take my medication in the mornings and in the evenings, but I take it every two days because that’s a lot of money”34 |
Abbreviation: GP, general practitioner.