XXXX through the carers' eyes: results of a European cross-sectional survey.

@entity1 @entity161 @entity146
@entity161 is a serious @entity146 affecting approximately 29 million @entity1 worldwide. The ideal treatment and care of @entity1 with @entity161 should be provided by a multidisciplinary 'team' involving psychiatrists, nurses and other healthcare professionals, together with carers and @entity1 . In light of the key role carers play in the care of @entity1 with @entity161 , the present survey was designed to assess the opinions of family members and friends of @entity1 with @entity161 across Europe and to ascertain their attitudes towards the illness, medication and adherence to medication. Among carers participating in this survey, there was widespread awareness of the issues involved in supporting @entity1 with @entity161 and the importance of their role in improving poor adherence to medication. Three differences in opinion emerged between the views of carers and psychiatrists; psychiatrists rely more on the @entity1 themselves when assessing adherence than carers would recommend; in contrast to psychiatrists, many carers believe the illness itself contributes to non-adherence; two thirds of carers think that @entity161 medication damages health (higher than estimated by psychiatrists). The findings from the present survey, taken together with the results from the Adherencia Terap  utica en la Esquizofrenia surveys of psychiatrists and nurses, support the need for a collaborative approach to the issue of treatment nonadherence. In particular, healthcare professionals should recognize the valuable contribution that family carers can make to improve treatment adherence and consequently clinical outcomes for @entity1 with @entity161 . @entity161 carries a significant burden for families providing care. The Adherencia Terap  utica en la Esquizofrenia (ADHES) carers' survey was designed to assess the opinions of family and friends of @entity1 with @entity161 across Europe and ascertain their attitudes towards the illness, medication and adherence to medication. A questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey of 138 carers across 16 European countries. Interpretation of results was based on a descriptive comparison of responses. Carers recognized the importance of medication to help @entity1 get better (76%) and improve their quality of life (76%) and relationships (74%). Sixty-seven per cent believed medication damages general health. Sixty-five per cent reported that treatment adherence was a burden for @entity1 . Thirty-eight per cent indicated that it was a daily struggle to get @entity1 to take their medication. Fifty per cent perceived that medication administered every few weeks rather than daily was quite/very important. Ninety-three per cent agreed on the importance of family support to boost adherence, with education and information deemed important for families and @entity1 . Carers rely less on the @entity1 themselves when assessing adherence than psychiatrists. The burden faced by carers and @entity1 in taking medication provides an opportunity for healthcare professionals to provide support in a multidisciplinary 'team' involving psychiatrists, nurses and carers.
