A systematic review of interventions to improve medication adherence in family medicine patients

Abstract

Background: Medication non-adherence poses a significant challenge in healthcare, leading to suboptimal treatment outcomes. This systematic review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of different interventions in improving medication adherence. Methodology: A comprehensive search was conducted to identify relevant studies. Inclusion criteria encompassed interventions targeting medication adherence and reporting quantitative measures of adherence outcomes. The selected studies were assessed for quality, and data were extracted for analysis. Results: The review included a total of 14 studies. Interventions involving tailored phone calls or educational materials did not yield significant improvements in medication adherence. Conversely, interventions such as face-to-face counseling sessions and self-management programs showed promise in improving adherence. Nurse-led interventions and pharmacist-led consultations did not demonstrate significant improvements. Similarly, interventions involving stroke physician specialist assessments, behavioral feedback, medication reviews, and motivational interviewing did not yield significant improvements. A pooled analysis of various interventions across different healthcare settings showed a moderate but not statistically significant difference in medication adherence. Conclusion: The findings from this systematic review suggest that interventions tailored to individual patient characteristics and involving personalized support and education show promise in improving medication adherence. However, interventions relying solely on tailored phone calls, educational materials, nurse-led care, pharmacist-led consultations, stroke physician specialist assessments, behavioral feedback, medication reviews, or motivational interviewing may not consistently improve adherence. Keywords: Medication Adherence, Patient Compliance, Family Medicine, Education, Behavioral Modification.