Conception of a Personalized Medication Adherence Discharge Kit for Rivaroxaban

Due to a lack of necessary monitoring with rivaroxaban, patients have fewer opportunities for education, adherence reinforcement, and follow-up. If rivaroxaban is taken incorrectly, patients are at increased risk for adverse events. The objective was to create personalized rivaroxaban patient adherence kits (R-PAKs) to enhance successful transition from 15 mg twice daily to 20 mg once daily on day 22 of venous thromboembolism (VTE) treatment.

A review of rivaroxaban drug information and existing medication adherence tools was completed to increase understanding of ways to improve adherence. Clinical pharmacists identified several concerns the R-PAK should address, including patient understanding of correct dose, administration timing, serious adverse effects, and importance of compliance, along with loss to follow-up by a health care provider. In the pilot phase, 100 R-PAKs were created. Each kit includes an educational handout describing adverse effects, administration, and monitoring; a reminder card with dosing information, date to transition, and emergency contact information; and a personalized 28-day pill organizer containing customized dividers to correlate with the first 21 days of treatment. Color-coded stickers denote the first day of starting twice-daily therapy upon discharge and the day of transition to once-daily dosing. The items were distributed in tote bags at discharge along with pharmacist education.

The R-PAKs are being used at a community teaching hospital for patients newly diagnosed with VTE who are discharged on rivaroxaban. The concept of a personalized medication box could be modified for any medication that requires high compliance or dose transitions.