The aim of this study was firstly to quantify the current level of medication adherence using a validated scale, and then to qualitatively explore the association between the measured adherence and the influencing factors. A convenience sample of 20 patients were recruited to the study. All patients had undergone PCI in the previous 7 days and had completed phase

I cardiac rehabilitation. Inclusion criteria included being on three or more cardiac medications (including any of the following: antiplatelets, statins/fibrate/ezetimibe, β-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, ATM/ATR inhibitor angiotensin 2 receptor blockers, nitrates, nicorandil, calcium-channel blockers, antiarrhythmics), age of 18 year or more, fluent in English and being able to give informed consent. Patients were excluded from the study if they had cognitive impairment, had known alcohol or illicit drug use, had a physical or psychological disability inhibiting communication, were using a compliance aid (i.e. dosette

box) or resided in a nursing, residential or care home. The sample size for this project was determined by data saturation caused by repeated thematic recurrence in the qualitative semi-structured BTK inhibitor concentration interviews. Evidence indicated that up to 25 patients would be required to achieve this.[22,23] Full ethical approval was granted by the North of Scotland Research Ethics Service on the 22nd March 2010. Patients were given an information sheet about the study by cardiology staff who would normally be involved in the care of PCI patients. After see more a minimum of 24 h to reflect on that information, if they wished to participate in the study a meeting was set up with a researcher (GFR) where further information about the study was given and written informed consent taken before participation in the study. A pilot study (two patients) was conducted in the penultimate week of April 2010. Both patients met the inclusion and avoided the exclusion criteria for the study. The pilot study was required to check that the methods,

procedures and documentation to be used in the study were acceptable to the research participants, and secondly that the methods used would yield data required to answer the research question. Completion of consent forms, questionnaires and interviews was conducted by a single researcher (GFR) at Raigmore Hospital, Inverness. Demographic data were collected regarding the medical, social, financial and educational background of each participant; a full medication history was also taken. This enabled descriptive statistics to be used to characterise the sample. A review of published adherence screening tools was undertaken (Table 1[24–37]). This identified the Tool for Adherence Behaviour Screening (TABS)[35] as the most appropriate questionnaire to provide an accurate, fast and reliable indication of medication adherence in patients with chronic conditions.