title: Evaluation of a pharmacy service helping patients to get a good start in taking their new medications for chronic diseases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Getting a good start in taking new medications for a chronic disease constitutes a crucial step in the establishment of continuous medical treatment. Patients in this phase report problems such as concerns about their new medication, side effects and practical problems, all contributing to the risk of non-adherence. Counseling at the pharmacy counter may not be structured appropriately to address issues of potential non-adherence to new medication. For these reasons, a new pharmacy service in Denmark was developed. The service consists of a 15-min face-to-face interview and a 10-min telephone follow-up interview.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of study was to evaluate the new service with regard to overall patient satisfaction, knowledge, practical problems, a feeling of safety, adherence and concordance.
  
  
  METHODS
  Questionnaires were constructed using validated scales for adherence and concordance. Further, semi-structured interviews were carried out with a subset of patients to explore their experiences in more depth. Questionnaires were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 19, and interviews were analyzed using meaning condensation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients reported improved knowledge, feelings of safety and a good start in taking the new medication due to the pharmacy service. The majority of patients reported being adherent, but a potential risk of non-adherence was identified in nearly 50% of patients. Only slight improvements in perceived concordance were reported. The positive outcome of the service was mainly due to the first interview. Some patients had concerns about their new situation, which they thought more important to resolve than issues of potential non-adherence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients were satisfied with the pharmacy service and reported that staff helped them get a good start with the new medication. Challenges were observed regarding the follow-up interview. Some patients will also benefit from services more oriented toward resolving their specific medical concerns.
authors: Section for Social and Clinical Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, 2100 København Ø, Denmark. Electronic address: susanne.kaae@sund.ku.dk.
authors: Susanne
authors: S
authors: Kaae
authors: Department of Research & Development, The Danish College of Pharmacy Practice (Pharmakon), Milnersvej 42, 3400 Hillerød, Denmark.
authors: Pernille
authors: P
authors: Dam
authors: Department of Research & Development, The Danish College of Pharmacy Practice (Pharmakon), Milnersvej 42, 3400 Hillerød, Denmark.
authors: Charlotte
authors: C
authors: Rossing
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003157:Community Pharmacy Services; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055118:Medication Adherence; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010465:Perception; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Chronic diseases; Community pharmacy; Denmark; Good start with new medication