Medication adherence as a safety issue: Generating theory from the perceptions of individuals with Cystic Fibrosis, families, and healthcare providers on the medication management process

Living with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) means taking medication all your life. We know that people in general do not take medications as prescribed and people with CF have the same problem. Not taking medications as prescribed is a safety issue and means that the diseases that people have will not be as well managed and that they can have more problems with their disease. These problems often result in needing to be hospitalized. Most people begin taking medications later in life leading us to believe this contributes to why they may not take them as prescribed. People with CF take medications all their lives, and yet they also have problems taking medications as intended. We want to do a study interviewing people with CF, their families, and healthcare providers to hear why taking medications as prescribed is a problem. Finding out what gets in the way in everyday life of taking medications can lead to making changes at many levels such as packaging, prescribing, dispensing (pharmacy), and consuming that help people to take their medications safely, and to live well in their communities.