Utilising dyads in medicines optimisation and illness management research

There has been much growth in the interest in and use of family-level and dyadic level theories and methodologies to explore the influence of social relationships on health and the influence of health on social relationships. Social relationships include those with romantic partners, friends, siblings, children and care professionals these individuals play a significant role in the physical health, mental health and well-being of a patient. An important part of this includes medicines optimisation and illness management. Studying health and well-being and consideration of both partners in the context of these close social relationships is clearly important in health research; as such both partners become the unit of study – also known as a dyad. The aim of this paper is to provide an introduction and overview as to how dyads might be used in medicines optimisation and illness management research. This aim will be achieved through the following objectives: dyadic study designs used in health research; some of the challenges that can occur in recruitment and data collection and strategies that can be used to overcome them; dyadic data analysis: some methodological and substantive considerations that require consideration when using dyadic data analysis.