"You Want to Give the Best Care Possible, and You Know When They Leave Your Pharmacy, You Didn't Give the Best Care Possible Most of the Time": Pharmacist- and Community Health Worker-Identified Barriers and Facilitators to Medication Adherence in Marshallese Patients.

Abstract

The Marshallese experience high rates of chronic diseases including hypertension and diabetes. Medication adherence is crucial to successful disease management, and healthcare providers play a crucial role in assisting their patients with medication adherence. A qualitative study design was used with individual interviews and focus groups with pharmacists and community health workers (CHWs) serving the Marshallese community in Northwest Arkansas. Participants were asked about their experiences with and perceptions of barriers and facilitators to medication adherence among Marshallese adults in Northwest Arkansas. Eight pharmacists and nine CHWs were interviewed. Five themes emerged regarding barriers to medication adherence: (1) financial, (2) transportation, (3) language, (4) health literacy and understanding of Western medicine, and (5) mistrust. Four themes emerged regarding facilitators to medication adherence: (1) in-depth patient education strategies, (2) efforts to address the language barrier, (3) family engagement, and (4) public transportation and prescription home delivery. Pharmacists and CHWs identified the same barriers to medication adherence, which are consistent with those documented in previous studies. Pharmacists also reported distress over their inability to confirm Marshallese patient understanding in relation to the use of prescribed medications.