A new Walgreens (NYSE: WAG)(NASDAQ: WAG) study has found that patients
starting high cholesterol (statin) medication for the first time who
participated in enhanced face-to-face counseling sessions with a
community pharmacist demonstrated better medication adherence than those
that did not participate in the sessions. Non-adherence is an especially
important issue for high cholesterol patients, as it places them at a
greater risk of complications from heart disease. The study, titled The
impact of pharmacist face-to-face counseling to improve medication
adherence among patients initiating statin therapy, was published in
April in the online journal, Patient Preference and Adherence.
“This study demonstrates the power of face-to-face pharmacist
interactions,” said Jeff Kang, MD, Walgreens senior vice president of
health and wellness services and solutions. “Just two sessions focused
on barriers to adherence for patients taking a new medicine for high
cholesterol helped them establish a routine for adhering to their
treatment. As a result, these patients potentially improved their
long-term health outcomes. At Walgreens, our goal is to help our
patients stay well while reducing overall health care costs and programs
that address the significant issue of prescription medication
non-adherence are a crucial element of this.”
To conduct the study, a group of more than 2,000 patients new to statin
therapy were followed for 12 months. After inclusion and exclusion
criteria were applied, the intervention group consisted of 586 patients,
and the comparison group comprised 516 patients. Pharmacists trained in
brief motivational interviewing conducted counseling sessions that
addressed barriers to adherence for statin patients, such as perceptions
of the value of the therapy, fear of side effects and simple
forgetfulness or establishing a routine to take medication.
Outcomes were measured using three metrics evaluating adherence:
continuous medication possession ratio (MPR), categorical MPR and
medication persistency.