Addressing primary nonadherence: A collaboration between a community pharmacy and a large pediatric clinic

To decrease nonadherence rates through the design and implementation of a collaborative prescription management program involving a community pharmacy and a large pediatric primary care center.

Kroger and Cincinnati Children's Pediatric Primary Care Center collaborated to identify and address patients' barriers to filling new prescriptions. After filling new medications for clinic patients, pharmacists telephoned patients to inform them that their prescription was ready and to reinforce the importance of initiating the therapy. Pharmacists followed up with families to address barriers when prescriptions remained at the pharmacy after 48 hours. Pharmacists communicated with prescribers if prescriptions were not filled, allowing the clinic staff to follow up.

The primary outcome of this prospective pilot study with a comparison group was primary nonadherence (PNA), defined as the proportion of patients who did not pick up prescriptions or a reasonable alternative within 30 days after the pharmacy received the prescription. Secondary outcomes were the impact on secondary nonadherence and identification of adherence barriers.

Fifty-nine patients were enrolled from November 2016 to April 2017. Characteristics between the intervention group and a standard-care group were similar. The majority of prescribed medications were for acute conditions, the average patient age was 4.9 years, and 86% of patients were covered by Medicaid. Intervention patients had significantly less PNA compared with the standard-care group (14.0% vs. 53.3%, respectively; P < 0.001). Intervention patients had significantly greater secondary adherence rates compared with standard-care patients (38.8% vs. 7%; P < 0.001). Common barriers likely resulting in PNA included lack of time, lack of urgency, transportation challenges, and cost.

Increased communication between the primary care provider and the community pharmacy, coupled with targeted patient-specific interventions before the initial fill of medications, resulted in significant reductions in PNA.