ESPE2021 ePoster Category 2 Growth hormone and IGFs (31 abstracts)
1Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung City 402, Taiwan; 2Merck Ltd., Taiwan, Taipei City 114, Taiwan; 3Atlantis Healthcare, London, United Kingdom; 4Global Medical Affairs Cardiometabolic & Endocrinology, Biopharma, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany; 5School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kings College London, London, United Kingdom
Background: Poor adherence to recombinant human growth hormone (r-hGH) treatment presents a significant barrier to achieving optimal growth outcomes. It is important to identify and address the treatment adherence-related needs of children prescribed r-hGH, and develop new approaches to improve adherence. In this study, we aimed to measure the impact of the TuiTek patient support programme, a multi-component personalised service intervention, on caregivers knowledge, beliefs and perceptions of GH deficiency (GHD) and adherence to its treatment.
Patients and Methods: The pilot study of the TuiTek patient support programme was conducted among 31 caregivers of children with GHD and receiving r-hGH treatment via the easypod auto-injector device in Taiwan. Caregivers within the high risk category for belief/perception factors influencing adherence to r-hGH treatment (disease and treatment coherence, emotional burden, self-administration and treatment-related anxiety) were identified via the TuiTek personalisation questionnaire and followed up with bi-weekly telephone calls by a nurse practitioner over a 3-month period. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare changes in questionnaire-based scoring patterns between baseline and follow-up.
Results: Between baseline and follow-up, the percentage of caregivers scoring as high risk for emotional burden reduced by 37%; there was also a positive change in confidence of self-administration by 57% and the percentage of caregivers scoring as high risk for treatment-related anxiety was reduced by 52%. At follow-up, all caregivers classified as high risk within the disease and treatment coherence item at baseline had moved into the low risk category. Table 1 presents an overview of these findings. Statistically significant changes in questionnaire scores between baseline and follow-up for disease and treatment understanding, emotional burden, self-administration and treatment-related anxiety (all P < 0.05) were also observed.
Priority Topic | Baseline | Follow-up | Percentage Change | Achievement of Positive Change* | ||
n | % | N | % | |||
Disease and Treatment Coherence | 11 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 100 | ✓✓✓ |
Emotional Burden | 27 | 87 | 17 | 55 | 37 | ✓ |
Treatment-Related Anxiety | 25 | 81 | 12 | 39 | 52 | ✓✓ |
Self-Administration | 28 | 90 | 12 | 39 | 57 | ✓✓ |
*✓✓✓ = 100%; ✓✓ = ~50%; ✓ = <50%. |
Conclusion: These findings indicate that the TuiTek patient support programme can positively address some of the disease and treatment-related barriers amongst caregivers regarding optimal adherence of their children to r-hGH treatment, which has the potential to positively impact on adherence levels and patient clinical outcomes.