• Elke Ge Mathijssen, Johanna E Vriezekolk, Agnes Mm Eijsbouts, Frank Hj van den Hoogen, and Bart Jf van den Bemt.
• Department of Rheumatology, Sint Maartenskliniek, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
• Patient Prefer Adher. 2018 Jan 1; 12: 349-358.

ObjectiveThe objectives of this study were to explore the needs of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) regarding support for medication use and to gain insight into their perspective on the suitability of eHealth technologies to address these needs.MethodsThree focus groups were conducted with 28 patients with RA. Audio recordings made during the focus groups were transcribed verbatim. Two researchers independently performed an inductive, thematic analysis on the data (ie, the transcripts and field notes).ResultsThe following three themes that described support needs of patients with RA for medication use were identified in the data: 1) informational support; 2) practical support; and 3) emotional support. Informational support reflected the provision of information and facts, including advice, suggestions, and feedback from health care providers. Practical support included the reinforcement of practical skills as well as the provision of medication aids and pharmacy services. Emotional support reflected a trusted patient-health care provider relationship, characterized by good communication. Although potential advantages of eHealth technologies to address the patients' support needs were recognized, concerns over matters such as personal interaction with health care providers, privacy and data security, and the quality and reliability of online information were prevalent.ConclusionPatients with RA have informational, practical, and emotional support needs for medication use. Informational support seems to be most important. From the patients' perspective, eHealth technologies may have the potential to address these needs. However, these technologies are regarded as a complement to, rather than a replacement of, current practices.

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