Dr Nor Firdous Mohamed
Nor Firdous Mohamed is a Senior Lecturer at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, a Registered Clinical psychologist in Malaysia and a Visiting Consultant Clinical Psychologist working with non-governmental organizations (NGOs). She specializes in mixed-method research design, with a focus on Health Psychology and Clinical Psychology. She contributes to community-based mental health services and serves as an educator, supervisor for clinical psychology training, and researcher.
A Virtual Psychoeducation Framework to Enhance Medication Adherence and Post-Discharge Care in Malaysian CHD Patients: Preliminary Findings
Background: Coronary heart disease (CHD) accounted for 19.4% of deaths in Malaysia in 2019, with rising mortality rates. Despite the critical role of medication adherence in CHD management, only 60% of Malaysian patients adhere to prescribed regimens. Limited healthcare resources restrict traditional face-to-face interventions, making virtual care a viable alternative. This study develops and evaluates a virtual psychoeducation framework to enhance medication adherence and self-care among post-discharge CHD patients in Malaysia. Method: A convergent mixed-methods design was used. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 Malaysian healthcare professionals (≥5 years of CHD treatment experience) and analyzed thematically. Concurrently, a cross-sectional survey of 230 CHD patients assessed e-health literacy, medication adherence, and quality of life (QOL) using validated scales. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression. Results: The qualitative analysis identified five themes: (1) Barriers to Virtual Care, (2) Digital Infrastructure, (3) Platform Preferences, (4) Acceptance and Readiness, and (5) Virtual Data Management. Quantitative findings demonstrated significant associations between e-health literacy, medication adherence, and QOL. Regression analysis confirmed that e-health literacy and adherence significantly influenced QOL. Conclusion: The integration of qualitative and quantitative findings highlights that while healthcare professionals recognize digital challenges and patient readiness concerns, higher e-health literacy and adherence significantly improve QOL. By addressing these barriers, the proposed virtual psychoeducation framework provides a scalable solution to enhance post-discharge care, improve patient outcomes, and reduce healthcare costs in Malaysia.