| Abstract [eng] |
Karolina Dervinytė. Master’s Thesis: “Patient Experiences with Antithrombotic Medication Use and the Factors Influencing Them.” Scientific supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nora Šlekienė. Vilnius University, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Centre of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Vilnius, 2026. Aim of the study: To evaluate patients’ experiences with the use of antithrombotic medications. Objectives: 1. To evaluate patients’ experiences with antithrombotic medication use and their compliance with clinical recommendations. 2. To reveal patients’ attitudes towards the mechanism of action, use, and safety of antithrombotic medications. 3. To identify factors influencing patients’ experiences and attitudes towards the use of antithrombotic medications. Relevance of the study. Antithrombotic therapy is important for the prevention of thrombotic complications; however, treatment effectiveness depends not only on the prescribed medication but also on patients’ adherence to the treatment regimen. Patients’ attitudes toward the effects, use, and safety of medications, as well as their experiences, may influence treatment effectiveness and compliance with clinical recommendations. Therefore, it is important to identify the factors that determine patients’ experiences and attitudes toward the use of antithrombotic medications. Methods: The study employed both theoretical and empirical methods. In the theoretical part, a scientific literature analysis was conducted, examining the pathophysiology of thrombosis, principles of antithrombotic therapy, trends in medication use, and patient behavior. In the empirical part, a qualitative research method was chosen, namely semi-structured interviews, which allowed for an in-depth analysis of patients’ experiences, attitudes, and behavior related to medication use. The collected data were analyzed using content analysis. Results and conclusions: The study findings revealed that the antithrombotic medications used by patients and their prescription generally complied with clinical recommendations; however, some patients demonstrated inconsistent medication use, including missed doses, failure to follow the exact timing of administration, or non-adherence to recommendations. It was also found that patients most commonly perceived antithrombotic medications as protection against blood clot formation or as “blood-thinning” agents, although adherence to the treatment regimen was not always considered sufficiently important, and medication safety was mainly associated with the absence of side effects and personal experience with medication use. The study results also showed that patients’ attitudes and treatment experiences were most strongly influenced by the information provided by physicians, trust in healthcare professionals, personal disease experience, perception of complications, emotional well-being, and characteristics of daily routine and environment. Keywords: antithrombotic drugs, anticoagulants, antiplatelet agents, patient experiences, medication adherence. |
