Patient-centred advice is effective in improving adherence to medicines.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the effects of pharmacists giving advice to meet patients' needs after starting a new medicine for a chronic condition.


METHODS
A prospective health technology assessment including a randomised controlled trial of a pharmacist-delivered intervention to improve adherence using a centralised telephone service to patients at home in England. Patients were eligible for recruitment if they were receiving the first prescription for a newly prescribed medication for a chronic condition and were 75 or older or suffering from stroke, cardiovascular disease, asthma, diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis.


METHODS
Incidence of non-adherence, problems with the new medicine, beliefs about the new medicine, safety and usefulness of the interventions.


RESULTS
Five hundred patients consented and were randomised. At 4-week follow-up, non-adherence was significantly lower in the intervention group compared to control (9% vs. 16%, P = 0.032). The number of patients reporting medicine-related problems was significantly lower in the intervention group compared to the control (23% vs. 34%, P = 0.021). Intervention group patients also had more positive beliefs about their new medicine, as shown by their higher score on the "necessity-concerns differential" (5.0 vs. 3.5, P = 0.007). The phone calls took a median of 12 min each. Most advice was judged by experts to be safe and helpful, and patients found it useful.


CONCLUSIONS
Overall, these findings show benefits from pharmacists meeting patients' needs for information and advice on medicines, soon after starting treatment. While a substantially larger trial would be needed to confirm that the effect is real and sustained, these initial findings suggest the service may be safe and useful to patients.
Clifford
Sarah
S
Department of Practice and Policy, The School of Pharmacy, Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9JP, UK.
Barber
Nick
N
Elliott
Rachel
R
Hartley
Elaine
E
Horne
Rob
R
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D010595:Pharmacists; D013689:Telephone; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D006113:United Kingdom