Patient Experiences and Meaning of Drug Response Variability in Polypharmacy Contexts
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Abstract
This study explores how patients undergoing polypharmacy subjectively experience and interpret variability in drug effects in their everyday lives. Using an interpretative phenomenological approach, data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with patients receiving multi-drug therapy and analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The findings show that patients experience pharmacological variability as embodied uncertainty, leading to heightened bodily awareness, continuous interpretation of therapeutic changes, and negotiated adherence shaped by perceived risks, personal meaning-making, and trust in treatment. These findings suggest that drug variability is not only a clinical or pharmacological phenomenon but also a lived and meaningful experience. The study contributes a patient-centered perspective to PK/PD research and highlights the need for improved therapeutic communication and further investigation of real-world medication use.
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