Effectiveness of clinical pharmacist intervention on medication adherence in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - A randomized controlled study

Abstract

ObjectivesIn patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), non-adherence remains challenging to achieve optimal disease control. Our study aimed to determine the impact of pharmacist-led educational interventions on COPD management, focusing mainly on medication adherence. MethodsWe conducted a 1-month open-labeled, randomized, controlled study at Ba Ria Hospital, Vietnam. COPD outpatients were randomly assigned to the intervention group or control group. Pharmacist-delivered education emphasized medication adherence, disease, and medication knowledge. The primary outcome was the between-group difference in medication adherence after the intervention, as assessed by the general medication adherence scale (GMAS). ResultsOf 181 recruited patients, 180 completed the follow-up. After the intervention, the results indicated a significant improvement in medication adherence rate between the two groups (90.1% vs. 66.3%, p < 0.001). Patient behavior was the most common barrier to non-adherence but was effectively reduced at the endpoint. The Modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) scale of dyspnea and inhalation technique also improved significantly in intervention patients. ConclusionsPharmacist intervention can considerably improve medication adherence and knowledge of COPD patients. Practice implicationsThis study promotes the value of clinical pharmacists in patient education to achieve better adherence and enhance population health, especially in resource-limited nations like Vietnam.