Impact of the SIMPL-SYNC Refill Synchronization Program on medication adherence: A pragmatic randomized controlled...

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Health Services Research
• Medication Management

Background:

• Medication adherence is crucial for managing chronic conditions.
• Refill synchronization services aim to improve adherence by aligning prescription refill dates.
• The SIMPL-SYNC refill synchronization (SSRS) service was evaluated as an opt-out strategy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of the SSRS service compared to usual care (UC) on medication adherence.
• To determine if an opt-out strategy for SSRS improves adherence among chronic medication users.

Main Methods:

• A pragmatic randomized controlled trial was conducted in 2 community pharmacies in Saskatchewan, Canada.
• 190 chronic medication users were included in the intention-to-treat analysis (95 in SSRS, 95 in UC).
• Medication adherence was measured by the proportion of days covered (PDC ≥ 80%) for 22 medication classes after 300 days.

Main Results:

• The percentage of patients achieving optimal adherence (PDC ≥ 80%) was 50.5% in the SSRS group versus 44.2% in the UC group (P=0.383).
• No statistically significant difference in optimal adherence was observed in either intention-to-treat or per-protocol analyses.
• Patient refusal of the refill synchronization services was noted as a common occurrence.

Conclusions:

• The SSRS service, delivered via an opt-out strategy, did not demonstrate a robust improvement in medication adherence.
• Potential for small adherence improvements or benefits in specific patient subgroups cannot be entirely ruled out.
• Further investigation into tailored approaches for refill synchronization may be warranted.