Health literacy and medication adherence: From a perspective using photovoice

Hispanics with chronic conditions coupled with low health literacy have problems with medication adherence leading to increased morbidity and mortality. The lack of medication adherence can be linked to the inability to read or understand medication labels. Health literacy skills are necessary to effectively navigate health care, including medication adherence. Individuals who lack health literacy skills have a disparity that could be detrimental to their health. The purpose of this phenomenological case study was to examine, through the use of photovoice and semi-structured interviews, attributes that would be meaningful and suitable to improving patients' medication adherence. The participants used disposable cameras to capture photographs of their medication adherence perceptions. Other data sources included two semi-structured interviews and a reflective journal. The results can be summarized within a phenomenon related to medication adherence constructed from the collection of themes. The data indicated participants are more likely to exhibit adherence if their medications are in a certain location and in proximity to what they are doing related to their daily routine. In addition, objects such as clocks, cabinets and refrigerators were utilized as reminders. Because the participants in this study had low functional health literacy, the relied on experiential knowledge which served as the umbrella under which the themes emerged. Further research is necessary to explore medication adherence using photovoice among other ethnic groups and to examine the use of photographs to teach medication adherence.