Sandra Spoelstra, PhD, RN, Assistant Professor, College of Nursing, Michigan State University, explains some of the reasons why cancer patients don’t adhere to their oral medications.

Spoelstra says some patients don’t know what their medication is for. Therefore, they don’t understand the need to take it consistently. Other patients will self modulate their oral medication in an effort to manage the side effects from the agent, Spoelstra says.

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Sandra Spoelstra, PhD, RN, Assistant Professor, College of Nursing, Michigan State University, explains some of the reasons why cancer patients don't adhere to their oral medications.

Sandra Spoelstra on the Challenges of Oral Cancer Medication Adherence

Sandra Spoelstra, PhD, RN, assistant professor, Michigan State University, discusses how to help improve cancer medication adherence.

Spoelstra suggests patients who are taking oral cancer medication should take a course to help them adhere better. Instead of nurses simply telling patients to take their medication at a certain time, Spoelstra says drug adherence will be improved if nurses can convince patients to marry their actual routine with the new routine of taking their cancer medication.

At the same time, nurses are trying to teach patients to know when to interact with clinicians when they are experiencing moderate to severe symptoms. This way, Spoelstra says, strategies can be put in place so patients do not get discouraged by the side effects and stop taking their medicine.

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Sandra Spoelstra, PhD, RN, assistant professor, Michigan State University, discusses strategies to help improve cancer medication adherence.


Sandra Spoelstra on Improving Cancer Medication Adherence

Sandra Spoelstra, PhD, RN, Assistant Professor, College of Nursing, Michigan State University, discusses adherence in cancer patients.

Medication adherence is a huge problem in general, Spoelstra says, and is even worse among cancer patients. There have been studies analyzing symptom management and adherence to pills. Spoelstra says that adherence to drugs is much different when patients are prescribed pills or are required to visit the clinic to be treated.

Sandra Spoelstra, PhD, RN

Articles

Sandra Spoelstra on the Challenges of Oral Cancer Medication Adherence

Sandra Spoelstra on Improving Cancer Medication Adherence

Sandra Spoelstra, PhD, RN, on Adherence in Cancer Patients