Objective: To determine the stability and influence of adherence barriers on medication adherence and seizure control in pediatric epilepsy.
Methods: Caregivers of 118 children aged 2-12 years old with epilepsy completed the Pediatric Epilepsy Medication Self-Management Questionnaire at nine time points over 2 years post diagnosis. Electronically monitored antiepileptic drug adherence and seizure outcome data were collected.
Results: Hierarchical linear modeling results for overall barriers remained stable over 2 years. Specific item-level barriers were also generally stable over time, with the exception of running out of medication becoming more of a barrier over time. No specific barriers were related to seizure control; however, difficulties swallowing medication, forgetting, and medication refusal were related to electronically monitored adherence over time.
Conclusions: Assessing for specific adherence barriers over time may lead to identification of interventions that result in improved adherence and care.
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