A pharmacy care program for elderly patients increases medication adherence, which results in improved health outcomes, according to a study posted online by JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.
The study is being released early to coincide with its presentation at the American Heart Association Scientific Session. It will be published in the December 6 print issue of JAMA.
"Adherence to chronic pharmacological therapies is poor, leading to worsening disease severity and increased costs associated with higher hospital admission rates," the authors provide as background information. "Barriers to medication adherence are numerous, but include the prescription of complex medication regimens, treatment of asymptomatic conditions and convenience factors. These factors are particularly prevalent among the elderly population, placing them at increased risk for medication nonadherence."
Jeannie K. Lee, Pharm.D., and colleagues from Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C., report the results from the Federal Study of Adherence to Medications in the Elderly (FAME), a multi-phase investigation that included 200 community-based patients age 65 years or older taking at least four chronic medications. The FAME study, which was conducted from June 2004 to August 2006 consisted of three phases. First, all 200 patients entered a two-month run-in phase that provided a baseline for medication adherence using pill counts, and for blood pressure (BP) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) readings. Of these patients, 174 then entered a six-month intervention phase that included standardized medication education, regular follow-up by pharmacists and all medications dispensed in time-specified blister packs. Following the intervention phase, 159 patients were randomized to continue the pharmacy care program or return to their usual care for an additional six months.