A Web-Based Patient Empowerment to Medication Adherence Program for Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis: Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Living with a chronic illness such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) requires medications and therapies, as well as long-term follow-up with multidisciplinary clinical teams. Patient involvement in the shared decision-making process on medication regimens is an important element in promoting medication adherence. Literature review and needs assessment showed the viability of technology-based interventions to equip patients with knowledge about chronic illness and competencies to improve their adherence to medications. Thus, a web-based intervention was developed to empower patients living with RA to adhere to their disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) medication regimen.Objective: This study aims to discuss the intervention mapping process in the design of a web-based intervention that supports patient empowerment to medication adherence and to evaluate its feasibility among patients living with RA.Methods: The theory-based Patient Empowerment to Medication Adherence Programme (PE2MAP) for patients with RA was built upon the Zimmerman Psychological Empowerment framework, a web-based program launched through the Udemy website. PE2MAP was developed using a 6-step intervention mapping process: (1) needs assessment, (2) program objectives, (3) conceptual framework to guide the intervention, (4) program plan, (5) adoption, and (6) evaluation involving multidisciplinary health care professionals (HCPs) and a multimedia team. PE2MAP is designed as a 4-week web-based intervention program with a complementary RA handbook. A feasibility randomized controlled trial was completed on 30 participants from the intervention group who are actively taking DMARD medication for RA to test the acceptability and feasibility of the PE2MAP.Results: The mean age and disease duration of the 30 participants were 52.63 and 8.50 years, respectively. The feasibility data showed 87% (n=26) completed the 4-week web-based PE2MAP intervention, 57% (n=17) completed all 100% of the contents, and 27% (n=8) completed 96% to 74% of the contents, indicating the overall feasibility of the intervention. As a whole, 96% (n=24) of the participants found the information on managing the side effects of medications, keeping fit, managing flare-ups, and monitoring joint swelling/pain/stiffness as the most useful contents of the intervention. In addition, 88% (n=23) and 92% (n=24) agreed that the intervention improved their adherence to medications and management of their side effects, including confidence in communicating with their health care team, respectively. The dos and do nots of traditional Chinese medicine were found by 96% (n=25) to be useful. Goal setting was rated as the least useful skill by 6 (23.1%) of the participants.Conclusions: The web-based PE2MAP intervention was found to be acceptable, feasible, and effective as a web-based tool to empower patients with RA to manage and adhere to their DMARD medications. Further well-designed randomized controlled trials are warranted to explore the effectiveness of this intervention in the management of patients with RA.