EXPLORING PATIENT AND HEALTHCARE PRACTITIONER EXPERIENCES IN MANAGING CHRONIC MYELOID LEUKAEMIA TREATMENT: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Abstract

Background: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have revolutionized chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) treatment, enhancing survival rates. However, research interest has expanded beyond the initial impact to explore long-term effects, including medication adherence challenges and persistent side effects. While qualitative studies highlight the significant physical and psychological impact on patients, limited research globally focuses on healthcare practitioner (HCP) experiences in CML management, with minimal qualitative exploration of the patient experience.

Purpose: This qualitative study aimed to investigate the experiences of both patients and HCPs in managing CML treatment.

Methods: Seventeen patients and thirteen HCPs were purposively sampled from the Haematological Malignancy. Qualitative interviews were conducted, and thematic analysis was employed to analyze the data.

Results: Four themes emerged from the analysis:

1. Importance of Optimal Clinical Management: HCPs focused on complex clinical decision-making.


2. Multiple Adherence Strategies: Patients described various strategies to support adherence and manage side effects, not always known to HCPs.


3. Inconsistent Management of Adherence: Patients often did not discuss nonadherence or side effects with HCPs, who tended to avoid direct inquiry regarding adherence.


4. Controlling Side Effects is Complex: HCPs relied on medical strategies to manage side effects, while patients employed self-management techniques.

Conclusions: Despite HCPs prioritizing medical management, patients often use self-management techniques for adherence and side effects, hesitant to discuss related difficulties. Enhancing clinic time and providing clear adherence advice may facilitate such discussions. Additionally, adjusting the context of follow-up care, such as introducing shared care with general practitioner (GP) services, could improve the overall management of CML treatment.