Abstract

Utilizing Photovoice Methodology to Examine Mental Health Medication Use

Presenter & Researcher: Gina Aalgaard Kelly, PhD Assistant Professor, North Dakota State University
Affiliated Researcher: Amy Werremeyer, Pharm D Associate Professor, North Dakota State University
Affiliated Researcher: Elizabeth Skoy, Pharm D Assistant Professor, North Dakota State University

The delivery of medications to patients in the United States healthcare system is currently less than ideal. Somewhere between the doctor’s office, the writing of a prescription, the filling of the prescription, the delivery of the medication to the patient at the pharmacy, and the patient bringing the medication home, the system is breaking down. Recent data indicate more than 20% of all prescriptions written by prescribers are never filled, 50% of the 2 billion prescriptions written each year are not taken correctly or are stopped prematurely, and 125,000 deaths occur in the United States each year because of medication nonadherence.

Examining the experience of mental health participants when they are prescribed medication provides the potential to gain insight into adherence and nonadherence. Photovoice research methodology aims to shed light on how patients experience being on medication. Photovoice allows individuals to use cameras to photograph their everyday health and work realities, thereby focusing on issues of greatest concern and communicating these issues to policy makers, healthcare providers, and influential advocates who can be mobilized to make change. Researchers provided disposable cameras to the participants. These participants captured photographs of their everyday experiences that reflect their individual perspective on their lives with medications. Once the photographs were collected, the researchers held group and individual reflection sessions with the photographers to discuss their photographs and how their photographs essentially gave them a voice about their medications. Researchers then qualitatively analyze the discussions and photographs to develop general themes regarding the research group. Finally, dialog was held between research participants and healthcare providers with the goal of education and action-oriented change.

The study included a small population of patients (n = 17) prescribed one or more medications to gather preliminary descriptive data regarding use of photovoice methodology, to assess the collective and individual experience of prescription medication use in this group, and to share findings with a small group of healthcare providers . The researchers then intend to expand this research in the future to a larger population of patients, building on the preliminary data gathered and expanding the group of healthcare entities with which the information is shared and discussed. Photovoice research methodology has not yet been applied to medication-taking behavior. Yet, the perspective on patient-medication experiences provided by this research may be able to enhance the delivery of medications to patients in pharmacies, doctor’s offices, and healthcare communities in general.