A new study from University College Cork is seeking to gain a greater understanding of the experience of medication-related care for people who attend hospital outpatient services.
The research wants to explore the effectiveness of communication about medications that are discussed, reviewed, or considered during appointments. It wants to understand how patients feel about these types of conversations as well as what is working well now, and what could be improved. The research is also interested in understanding how people feel about pharmacist-led medication care within hospital outpatient services.
With many people with epilepsy being treated with Anti Seizure Medication - which can come with a range of side effects - and regularly attending outpatient services, the research team are keen to hear the experiences of people living with the condition as part of their continuing work.
The study aims to highlight the importance of listening to people and ensuring that their views can shape how care is delivered in an outpatient setting. The project hopes to identify opportunities to support medicine adherance, strengthen shared decision-making, and improve the care that patients receive through exploring patients’ views and experiences. It is also hoped that insights from this project could help to shape the development of advanced or specialist pharmacist roles in outpatient services.
Participation in the study involves a online interview lasting about 45 minutes - where participants will have the opportunity to talk about their own experience of medication-related support in hospital outpatient services. These interviews will be anonymised and the information provided will contribute to the study's final finding/report.
If you are interested in taking part in this research, please email PhD researcher, Eimear McManus at eimearmcmanus@umail.ucc.ie and she will be in touch with further information.
Thank you in advance for supporting this study.
In the meantime, should you need any information or support on your or your loved one’s journey with epilepsy, please do not hesitate to contact your local Community Resource Officer. You can find their details by visiting the ‘Our Local Service’ page on our website. You can also find further information on different ASMs and learn more about side effects by visiting the 'Treatment' section of our website.