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Dose-dispensing service as an intervention to improve adherence to polymedication
Kurt E Hersberger1, Fabienne Boeni, Isabelle Arnet
1Pharmaceutical Care Research Group, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Klingelbergstr. 50, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland. kurt.hersberger@unibas.ch
Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology
|August 10, 2013
Summary
Dose-dispensing services help patients manage multiple medications by organizing pills into daily and weekly aids. This review explores the benefits and drawbacks of these pharmacy services.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacotherapy adherence and medication management.
Background:
- Improving long-term pharmacotherapy adherence is crucial for patient outcomes.
- Healthcare providers face challenges in selecting effective medication adherence interventions.
- Polymedication management requires structured support for patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the advantages and disadvantages of various dose-dispensing services and technologies.
- To summarize the existing evidence on the effectiveness of dose-dispensing aids.
- To identify research gaps in the field of medication adherence services.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature review of dose-dispensing services.
- Analysis of pros and cons of different dose-dispensing technologies.
- Synthesis of current evidence on medication adherence interventions.
Main Results:
- Dose-dispensing services repackage oral medications into personalized aids.
- These aids simplify medication management for patients with polymedication.
- Evidence on the comparative effectiveness of different services is summarized.
Conclusions:
- Dose-dispensing services offer a structured approach to improve medication adherence.
- Further research is needed to address identified gaps in evidence.
- Optimizing these services can enhance patient self-management of pharmacotherapy.
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