MedSupport Intervention to Identify and Address Barriers to Pediatric Medication Adherence

This clinical trial identifies and addresses barriers to pediatric medication adherence among families of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Pediatric nonadherence (noncompliance) to medication is a significant public health problem, and rigorous research repeatedly documents that nonadherence increases risk for hospitalization, healthcare cost, disease progression, and death. Pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients who miss 5% of 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) doses within the 2-year 6-MP regimen have a 2.7-fold risk of cancer that comes back after a period of improvement (relapse). To address these families' needs, researchers have developed MedSupport, a theory-based multilevel intervention with targets at the organizational, healthcare team, and caregiver levels that is designed to address root barriers to medication adherence. This study is being done to better understand families' experiences giving their child oral chemotherapy at home and to help families cope with the day-to-day challenges of giving their child medication.