Patient adherence and health management issues: A case study on the effect of medication reminder box

ABSTRACT

Background

Patient adherence to medication regimen is one of the key factors that play an important role in achieving successful treatment. This importance is doubled in patients with chronic diseases.

Objective

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of medication reminder box on medication adherence in patients treated with anticoagulant drugs.

Methods

In this randomized clinical trial, samples were selected from patients referred to one of educational hospitals in Arak, Iran and then were divided into 2 groups by randomly (intervention = 30, control = 35). The intervention group was given a medication reminder box for 30 days. Then medication levels and medication adherence in both groups were measured before and after intervention.

Results

Before intervention, results showed no significant difference in terms of medication adherence and INR level in intervention and control groups (P > .05). But after intervention, adherence and INR level were different in the two groups (P < .05). Indeed, the mean amount of medication adherence in the intervention group was higher than the control group (P < .001). The mean INR in the intervention group was closer to therapeutic level.

Conclusion

It is recommended to use medication reminder box as an effective intervention in all patients taking pharmaceutical, especially in patients with chronic disease and patients who usually forget to take medications, in order to increase medication adherence.

KEYWORDS:

• Pharmaceutical
• medication adherence
• medication reminder box
• chronic disease
• International Normalized Ratio
• Prothrombin Time

Acknowledgments

This study is the result of research project (ID: 2168) in Arak University of Medical Sciences. To conduct the study, ethics code IR, ARAKMU.REC.1394.26 was taken from the Vice-Chancellor for Research and Technology of the University and code IRCT2016010914229N4 was taken from the Iranian Center for Clinical Trials. Hereby, we acknowledge and appreciate the Vice-Chancellor for Research and Technology of Arak University of Medical Sciences, for approval and support of this project, and all the participants in this project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Arak University of Medical Sciences [grant number 2168].