Evaluating the Impact of Sample Medication on Subsequent Patient Adherence

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Clinical Pharmacy

Background:

• Medication nonadherence is a significant issue in healthcare, stemming from financial, educational, or side effect concerns.
• Existing strategies to improve adherence require enhancement to ensure patients obtain and use prescriptions as directed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of providing free 30-day medication samples via dispensing kiosks on patient adherence and healthcare costs.
• To assess if point-of-care medication samples and educational materials improve prescription fulfillment and adherence.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study using electronic health records of patients prescribed medications for diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia.
• Treatment group received a 30-day generic medication sample; control group did not.
• Outcomes included primary medication non-adherence (PMN), proportion of days covered (PDC), and PDC ≥ 80% (PDC80), analyzed using propensity score and regression models. Patient costs were also analyzed.

Main Results:

• Patients receiving samples were significantly more likely to fill initial prescriptions within 90, 180, and 365 days (e.g., 72.2% vs. 37.6% at 90 days).
• Medication samples positively impacted PDC at 90 and 180 days, and PDC80 at 90 and 180 days.
• The treatment group experienced reduced healthcare costs by $395, with positive clinician feedback.

Conclusions:

• Free medication samples provided at the point of care enhance prescription initiation and adherence.
• This intervention demonstrates a positive effect on patient adherence and can contribute to reduced healthcare expenditures.