This study aims to explore household medication practices by and for this population, identify practices that benefit or jeopardise medication safety and develop a patient-centred framework of medication practices, grounded in individual experiences.

This is a descriptive qualitative study using one-to-one semi-structured interviews, by telephone or video call, with optional research participant diary keeping. People who are self-isolating and staying at home as much as possible and/or aged 70 years or over, and using at least one long-term medication, or their caregivers, will be eligible for inclusion.

We will recruit 100 patient/ carer participants, 50 from England and 50 from the Republic of Ireland. Recruitment will be supported by our patient and public involvement partners, personal networks and social media. Individual participant consent will be sought, and interviews will be audio/video recorded and detailed notes made.

A constructivist interpretivist approach to data analysis will involve use of the constant comparative method to organise the data, along with inductive analysis. Sociotechnical assessment approaches using a Safety I/II perspective and the medication work framework will serve as sensitising concepts to support the iterative development of our person-centred medication practice safety framework.

This study has been approved by the Research Ethics Committees at Trinity College Dublin (Covid-19 2020502), University of Limerick (2020_06_08_EHS) and University College London (18417.001). We plan to disseminate our findings via presentations at relevant patient/public, professional, academic and scientific meetings and conferences, and for publication in peer-reviewed journals. We will create a list of helpful strategies that participants have reported and share with participants, PPI partners and on social media.