A Medication Synchronization Program and Blood Pressure Levels in a Community Pharmacy: Protocol.

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Health
• Pharmacology
• Public Health

Background:

• Poor adherence to antihypertensive medication affects 50% of patients, leading to adverse health outcomes and increased costs.
• Consistent medication use is crucial for reducing cardiovascular complications in hypertension.
• Medication synchronization, a strategy for improving adherence, lacks data on its impact on blood pressure and long-term outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the association between appointment-based medication synchronization services and blood pressure levels in hypertensive patients.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of medication synchronization in managing blood pressure among patients on antihypertensive medications.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal prospective cohort study comparing a medication synchronization group with a usual care group.
• Inclusion criteria: patients on at least two antihypertensive and four total medications with a 6-month prescription history.
• Sample size of 70 participants to detect a 9 mmHg blood pressure difference with 80% power.

Main Results:

• Data collection ongoing, with patients completing final blood pressure visits and medication data being gathered.
• Analysis of blood pressure changes and medication adherence will commence after all data are collected.

Conclusions:

• This study will establish a link between medication synchronization and blood pressure changes in hypertensive individuals.
• Findings will provide preliminary data for a future randomized clinical trial on medication synchronization's impact on blood pressure.