Interventions to improve medication adherence among older adults: meta-analysis of adherence outcomes among randomized controlled trials.
OBJECTIVE
This study investigated the effectiveness of interventions to improve medication adherence (MA) in older adults.


METHODS
Meta-analysis was used to synthesize results of 33 published and unpublished randomized controlled trials. Random-effects models were used to estimate overall mean effect sizes (ESs) for MA, knowledge, health outcomes, and health services utilization.


RESULTS
Data were synthesized across 11,827 participants. Interventions significantly improved MA (ES = 0.33), knowledge (ES = 0.48), and diastolic blood pressure (ES = 0.19). Nonsignificant effects were found for systolic blood pressure (ES = 0.21), other health outcomes (ES = 0.04), and health services utilization (ES = 0.16). Moderator analyses showed larger adherence ESs for interventions employing special medication packaging, dose modification, participant monitoring of medication effects and side effects, succinct written instructions, and standardized (not tailored) interventions. Larger effects were found when a moderate proportion of participants were women, for participants taking 3-5 medications, and when pill count adherence was measured.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings document that interventions increase MA in older adults. The considerable heterogeneity in the magnitude of effects across studies and results of the moderator analyses demonstrate the need for additional empirical research to optimize interventions.
Conn
Vicki S
VS
RN, S317 Sinclair School of Nursing, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA. conn@missouri.edu
Hafdahl
Adam R
AR
Cooper
Pamela S
PS
Ruppar
Todd M
TM
Mehr
David R
DR
Russell
Cynthia L
CL
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004358:Drug Therapy; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055118:Medication Adherence; D008875:Middle Aged; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010349:Patient Compliance; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic