Hernández DS, Jalmar EPR, Gonzalez JLG, Gonzalez MG, Sanchez BS, et al. (2024) Satisfaction with the Information received to the Patients under Treatment with Psychoactive Drugs: A Original Study. J Behav 7(1): 1023.

Statement of the problem

Our objective in this study is to know the perception of adverse effects in patients who are being treated with psychotropic medication. We have not found in the reviewed literature another study that emphasizes analysing the factors that influence the perception of side effects of users of psychotropic medication.

The incidence of adeverse effects and the information about the effects in patients is a subject not very well Known. There are not many bibliographical references on the degree of satisfaction of the patients about the information received on the effects of the medication they use [1,2]. A particularly area is the adverse effects [3-5]. of some psychotropic drugs, since in anxious patient, the medication they take may influence their sexual desire, which may contribute to additional anxiety that can be difficult to control. It is in this group of patients, those who take psychotropic medication prescribed in outpatient consultations in general medicine and psychiatry that we have done our research.

We conducted a cross-sectional survey, which were approved by the ethical research Committee of our Hospital. The study was carried out in a rural-urban area located with Mental Health Centers and Primary Care in south-eastern Spain over 6 month period (June 2023-December 2023). Previosly validated surveys (analysis of three independent experts and subsequent study of the internal consistency of the questionnaire were carried out after a pretest in 50 patients with a Cronbach alpha of 0.86 for Spanish sample.

The selection of the sample were performed by simple random sampling of patients attending primary outpatient clinic and specialized in psychiatry, being the main reason for consultation some psychiatric pathology and treatment with psychoactive drugs. After informing the patient of the objectives of the study and obtaining their corresponding consent, the selfadministered survey was carried out and the interviewer was available to solve any possible problem of understanding and interpreting the questions. The exclusion criteria of the study participants were: patients with a cognitive impairment that did not allow a good understanding of the questionnaire, patients who had difficulty reading the questionnaire, patients younger than 20 years and older than 90 years. The questionanaire is closed and anonymous, structured into 18 items. It consists of sociodemographic variables (age, sex, level of education, profession) and other items in which it is sought to investigate several aspects related to the medical-patient information process:zz

95 cases presented anxiety-related consultation problems (23.8%), cases presented insomnia (12.5%), 125 cases presented depression (31.3%), and 8 cases presented eating disorders (2%), while other psychiatric disorders were 30.4%. Outpatients on psychoactive drug treatment thought they had any side effects attributable to the use of this drug in 46.9% of the patients in the sample. There is a great heterogeneity in the symptoms perceived by the patient in treatment with psychoactive drugs. Dry mouth was a common symptom and presented a percentage of 8.8%. They reported that receive information on the side effects of psychoactive drugs 56.6%. If they doubted about the drug they searched for more information in the internet (20.6%), family doctor (29,1%), psychiatrist (5%), nurse (1,5%). Patient satisfaction with the information received was graded on a Liker scale of: nothing, regular, acceptable, good, very good: obtaining the following results in nothing 28 (7%), regular 107 (26.8%), acceptable 127 (31,8%), good 86 (21,6%), very good 51 (12,8%) (Table 1).

Table 1: Questionanaire which is closed and anonymous, structured into 18 items.

Information is an ongoing process between the patient and the physician. Information is a therapeutic process in which there is a feed back. It is a constant and continuous maintained in all the time of the doctor-patient relationship. It is a continuous process between the health professional and the patient. The information is not limited only to inform about the pathology, the problems for which the patient is consulted, the symptoms, the type of medication, the prognosis, but also covers any doubts or questions that may arise. It is essential that the patient receives quality information that makes them have adherence to the treatment. The doctor must know to adapt the information to the person in front of him. It is therefore important that the health professional develop skills in the transmission of information. We need to ask the patients more frequently if they had understood the information transmitted. But also to improve our attention to the patient we must receive a feed-back of the patient in which he tells us what makes him more satisfied. Satisfaction with the information received is a multidimensional concept. The measure of the patient satisfaction with the information received cannot be objectively obtained through external observation. The thing that most satisfies the patient receiving treatment with psychoactive drugs is to receive information about them. The informed patient, who knows why and for what the medication is taken, is a satisfied patient. Our study reveals that satisfaction is indissolubly associated with information. The health professional must be more proactive throughout the information process. Health professionals must acquire and develop communication skills to meet the needs of patients in relation to their health, and to assume a coresponsible attitude with the patient. Patients who are treated with psychoactive drugs for a variety problems attribute to the use of the drug symptoms that they interpret as a side effect.

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2. Philip Ley. Improving patients understanding, recall, satisfaction and compliance. Health Psychol. 1989; 74-102.

3. A Gamo. Degree of satisfaction and subjective improvement in a mental health center. Rev. Asoc. Esp Neuropsiq.1994; XIV nº 50: 403- 416.

4. Natalia Sartorius. Questionnaires of satisfaction in psychiatry. Advantages and controversies. Rev. Asoc. EspNeuropsiq. 2006; XXVI nº 98: 289-301.

5. Bollini P, G Tibaldi, C Testa, C Munizza. Understanding treatment adherence in affective disorders: a qualitative study. J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs. 2004; 11: 668-674.