Chris Bundy

Adherence to medication in patients with psoriasis: a systematic literature review

Psoriasis is associated with considerable physical and psychological morbidity. Optimal use of psoriasis treatments can limit the physical manifestations of psoriasis and help improve quality of life, but nonadherence is common. Smoking, obesity and excessive alcohol consumption are prevalent in this population. A systematic review of adherence to medication and recommendations for lifestyle change in psoriasis was undertaken, with a critical appraisal of the quality of the selected studies. Electronic searches from inception to March 2012 (PubMed, Web of Science and Embase) were conducted. Twenty‐nine studies were included; however, none examined adherence to advice about lifestyle change. Studies using a dichotomous classification of adherence tended to report suboptimal adherence, with 21·6–66·6% of patients classed as adherent. No consistent pattern of results emerged for sociodemographical, disease and lifestyle factors as determinants of adherence. However, some treatment factors were associated with adherence. While mixed findings were reported for quality of life as a determinant of adherence, psychological factors (psychological distress and patient satisfaction with care and therapy) were associated with adherence. Only tentative conclusions can be made for determinants of adherence because the methodological quality of many of the included studies limits conclusions. There is a need for improved quality of research and reporting in this area, and this review provides a platform from which future research within this area should progress, along with suggested research recommendations.

Exploring the relationship between cognitive illness representations and poor emotional health and their combined association with diabetes self-care. A systematic review with meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE Depression and anxiety are common in diabetes and are associated with lower diabetes self-care adherence. How this occurs is unclear. Our systematic review explored the relationship between cognitive illness representations and poor emotional health and their combined association with diabetes self-care. METHODS Medline, Psycinfo, EMBASE, and CINAHL were searched from inception to June 2013. Data on associations between cognitive illness representations, poor emotional health, and diabetes self-care were extracted. Random effects meta-analysis was used to test the relationship between cognitive illness representations and poor emotional health. Their combined effect on diabetes self-care was narratively evaluated. RESULTS Nine cross-sectional studies were included. Increased timeline cyclical, consequences, and seriousness beliefs were associated with poorer emotional health symptoms. Lower perceived personal control was associated with increased depression and anxiety, but not mixed anxiety and depressive symptoms. Remaining cognitive illness representation domains had mixed statistically significant and non-significant relationships across emotional states or were measured only once. Effect sizes ranged from small to large (r=±0.20 to 0.51). Two studies explored the combined effects of cognitions and emotions on diabetes self-care. Both showed that cognitive illness representations have an independent effect on diabetes self-care, but only one study found that depression has an independent effect also. CONCLUSIONS Associations between cognitive illness representations and poor emotional health were in the expected direction - negative diabetes perceptions were associated with poorer emotional health. Few studies examined the relative effects of cognitions and emotions on diabetes self-care. Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify directional pathways.

How should trainees be taught to open a clinical interview

Aim  To characterise the opening of secondary care consultations.

Do English Healthcare Settings Use 'Choice Architecture' Principles in Promoting Healthy Lifestyles for People with Psoriasis? An observational study

BackgroundThe influence of environmental factors in shaping behaviour is becoming increasingly prominent in public health policy, but whether health promotion strategies use this knowledge is unknown. Health promotion is important in the management of psoriasis, a long-term inflammatory skin condition, and health centre waiting areas are ideal places to promote health information to such patients. We systematically examined patient information materials containing either general, or specific, health messages for patients with psoriasis.MethodsAn observation schedule was used to record the frequency and quality of leaflets and posters addressing lifestyle behaviour change in health centre waiting areas. Content analysis was used to analyse: frequency, characteristics and standard of the materials.ResultsAcross 24 health centres 262 sources of lifestyle information were recorded (median per site = 10; range = 0–40). These were mainly: generic posters/displays of lifestyle support (n = 113); and generic materials in waiting areas (n = 98). Information quality was poor and poorly displayed, with no high quality psoriasis-specific patient materials evident.ConclusionsThere is little attempt to promote healthy lifestyle as an important aspect of psoriasis management in the clinic environment. Evidence about using environmental cues/techniques to prompt behaviour change in people with psoriasis does not currently inform the design and display of such information in standard health centre settings, which are prime locations for communicating messages about healthy lifestyle. Future research should test the efficacy and impact of theory-informed, high quality health promotion messages on health outcomes for patients with psoriasis.

Psychology-based approaches to the menopause

This series of linked presentations will outline key psychological processes that inform our understanding of how women make decisions about treatment for their menopausal symptoms and identify areas where clinicians can intervene to enhance menopause management, treatment decision-making and improve the quality-of-life of their patients. The first presentation focuses on those psychological processes influencing treatment decision-making around the menopause, especially how individuals process risk information, the effect of anxiety on information processing and examining how women prioritize symptoms and treatment choices. Understanding women’s ideas, concerns and expectations about the menopause is key to working in partnership with patients to arrive at an agreed management approach and improve treatment adherence. Promoting lifestyle change in women with menopausal symptoms