Determining Patient Satisfaction, Perception Of Value, And Monetary Worth Associated With Adherence Packaging And Pharmacy Services

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess realized access, determine the existence of equitable or inequitable access and find the factors affecting the adherence to the three diabetes care components. MethOds: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) 2010 was used as the data source. Hierarchical logistic regression was used to determine equitable or inequitable access to the recommended levels of diabetes care. Data analysis was performed using SAS ® version 9.2 Results: Realized access was highest for biannual glycosylated hemoglobin testing (80.30%) followed by annual dilated eye examination (70.39%) and daily self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) (63.00%). Hierarchical logistic regression revealed, enabling resources drove access to recommended level of SMBG and HbA1c testing, while recommended level of eye exams were driven by predisposing characteristics. Uninsured individuals and those who did not receive diabetes education were less least to adhere to diabetes care. cOnclusiOns: Realized access of daily SMBG needs to be increased by appropriate measures. The results suggest that inequitable access exists for all the three diabetes care components. Thus, measures for increasing equitable access are recommended. Knowing the factors affecting adherence to diabetes care may assist intervention planners, diabetes educators and health care professionals in attempting to improve diabetes management.

Systematic review of medication synchronization in community pharmacy practice

“…8,10,15,16,28,[30][31][32][33][34]38,39,[41][42][43][44][45]47,48 Seven articles did not specify their practice setting beyond a general mention of community pharmacy or the identification of their target audience as community pharmacies. 11,29,[35][36][37]40,46 The most commonly identified medication synchronization program type was the appointment-based model (n=12). 10,16,[32][33][34][36][37][38]40,43,44,49 The observed program features as previously defined by Krumme et al were pharmacist consultation to reinforce adherence and link to other services (n=21), flexible solutions for patients (n=17), technology to track patients and identify opportunities (n=16), care integration (n=9), techniques for pharmacist buy-in (n=4), and other (n=2).…”

“…33,43 Based on the observed components, many programs treat medication synchronization as a process that starts with the alignment of refills, with most studies focusing on alignment, medication preparation, and medication delivery. 15,16,[35][36][37]39,40,[42][43][44]46,48 Of the programs describing pre-alignment processes, the identification and enrollment of appropriate medication synchronization patients was the most common. This aspect of medication synchronization is one that is often overlooked.…”

“…Nearly all studies describe a process of contacting the patient approximately seven days prior to their synchronization date to confirm the medications to be refilled and address recent doctors' visits or hospitalizations. 8,10,11,15,16,[28][29][30][31][32][34][35][36]38,40,[42][43][44][45][46][47][48] Once the medications have been filled the process of delivering medications is described in many studies as featuring an opportunity to provide other patient services, such as medication therapy management or immunizations. 8,10,11,15,16,[29][30][31][32][33][34]36,38,39,[41][42][43][44]46,47 While the core components of medication synchronization are a focus of this review, they are of limited utility without associated techniques for successfully implementing and operating a medication synchronization program.…”

“…8,10,11,15,16,[28][29][30][31][32][34][35][36]38,40,[42][43][44][45][46][47][48] Once the medications have been filled the process of delivering medications is described in many studies as featuring an opportunity to provide other patient services, such as medication therapy management or immunizations. 8,10,11,15,16,[29][30][31][32][33][34]36,38,39,[41][42][43][44]46,47 While the core components of medication synchronization are a focus of this review, they are of limited utility without associated techniques for successfully implementing and operating a medication synchronization program. This review identified several interesting trends in how community pharmacies implement and operate their medication synchronization programs.…”

“…However, while the majority (n=23) of studies describe pharmacist involvement, less than half (n=12) make mention of how technicians are involved, and even fewer (n=10) mention other staff such as cashiers. 8,10,11,15,16,[28][29][30][31][32][33][34][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47] Whether this is due to the primary burden of medication synchronization falling on pharmacists or if the literature is not adequately capturing other staff participation needs additional research.…”