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Stroke is a significant contributor to the global burden of disease in adults. With the risk of recurrent stroke high, preventative medicines aimed at risk factor reduction are the method of choice for addressing the challenge of increased morbidity and mortality and improving patient outcomes. Research in stroke has shown that adherence to medication is problematic and survivors face considerable practical and physical barriers to taking prescribed medicines. Understanding these challenges can inform the development of strategies to improve medication taking behaviour through delivery of interventions in the primary care setting. This thesis aims to identify potential strategies to inform interventions to improve medication taking in stroke. The research: identified key barriers and facilitators of medication adherence for the secondary prevention of stroke - firstly from within the primary care setting and then from the perspective of an online stroke forum; explored the appropriateness of the online forum as a method of data collection for conducting qualitative research compared with a traditional qualitative interview approach; investigated medication taking among community stroke survivors to characterise patients who receive help with medicines and estimate the proportion who have unmet needs and miss medicines; and examined attitudes from across the stroke spectrum towards a novel approach to medication taking for secondary prevention (i.e. fixed-dose combination polypill). Findings showed that survivors face considerable barriers to medicine taking, but that facilitators, particularly the caregiver role, can encourage good medication taking practice. The online forum has potential as a source of data to understand stroke survivors' behaviour, and a novel strategy to taking stroke medicines has promise. These findings enhance current thinking around medicine taking behaviour in stroke and can inform the development of effective interventions to improve medication taking practices and address nonadherence among stroke survivors. Implications for clinical practice are discussed, and recommendations are provided for future research.

The cost of healthcare in the United States has increased due to growing numbers of patients who live with chronic health problems, such as heart disease. The cost of healthcare is compounded by the cost in terms of complications of cardiovascular disease secondary to medication non-adherence. Education about medication use and adherence, safety, and side effects was needed for patients in a cardiovascular unit to improve adherence to medications as prescribed. Results of a health care provider (HCP) and nursing staff needs assessment provided by the site showed the need for improved cardiovascular medication education. The project focused question asked if cardiovascular patient medication education provided to HCPs and nursing staff would be incorporated into practice by the HCPs and nursing staff. The purpose of the project was to improve the education provided to patients by the HCPs and nursing staff. A literature review provided content for the educational program. Strategies to promote adherence and medication safety and a patient education worksheet were presented with guidance on implementation. Post education qualitative results from HCPs and nursing staff showed that the sheet was implemented and helpful with educating cardiovascular patients. This project promotes positive social change by the implementation of a patient education program that may improve patient education and adherence to cardiovascular medications. As a result, improved adherence to medications may reduce patient and healthcare related costs long term.

Class of 2017 Abstract / Objectives: Medication adherence tools and technologies can have a significant impact on the level of drug therapy continuation as well as improved outcomes. The RxTimerCap© is a device that aims to act as a medication adherence cap with an embedded timer to indicate the time since the medication was last taken. Our aim was to assess if this cap technology would aid in increased drug adherence and duration of therapy with abiraterone (Zytiga®). Methods: The study was a prospective, single-center, interventional study that included males 18 or older being treated with Zytiga for castration-resistant metastatic prostate cancer. Medication possession ratio (MPR) and duration on therapy were the primary measures used to assess if there would be improved adherence. Paired t- tests were used to analyze the data and assess the significance of the outcomes. Results: There was no significant difference between patients in MPR (p = 0.50) or in the duration of treatment (p = 0.20). Conclusions: The difference in adherence rates for patients using the RxTimerCap© and those using the standard vial cap were non-significant. The limited size of our study population and short study duration may have led to these undifferentiated outcomes. Future studies should examine this type of adherence technology in a larger sample of patients with a prolonged window of observation to better assess the benefits of using the RxTimerCap©.

Class of 2005 Abstract / Objectives: To determine compliance rate of patients enrolled in the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) at El Rio Health Center. Methods: This study was a retrospective observational study design that utilized medication refill data obtained from computerized pharmacy records. Lists were created for each anti-retroviral drug that included the following data: medical record number, medication, quantity dispensed, days supply and refill date. Patient age, gender and ethnicity were also obtained. The data was compiled into a database using Microsoft Excel©. The medication possession ratio (MPR) was calculated for each drug as well as for each drug group. The subjects in this study were patients enrolled in the ADAP at El Rio Health Center who obtained prescription refills between December 1, 2003 and November 30, 2004. The mean age was 44.56 (range 25-78); 94.8% were male and 5.2% were female. Ethnic distribution included 52.6% Caucasian, 39.6% Hispanic, 3.2%African American, 1.3% Asian, and 3.2% other. Results: The MPR was calculated for each drug as well as for each drug group. MPRs for individual drugs ranged from 0.586-0.906; MPRs for drug groups ranged from 0.717-0.756. Implications: The results of the study indicated that ADAP patients did not have adequate (>95%) compliance rates. The implications of the results are that patients are not fully benefiting from their medication, while at the same time promoting the development of resistant strains of HIV.

Medication non-adherence, the extent to which a person's behavior does not coincide with medical or health advice, is a serious public health issue. Objectives: 1) Develop a new typology of medication non-adherence, 2) Develop models to predict different types of non-adherence based on Andersen Behavioral Model (ABM) and Leventhal's Common Sense Model (CSM), and 3) Test the models across two different medications used in treating disease conditions with varying symptomatology. Methodology: A new typology of medication non-adherence was developed through literature review of the frequently reported reasons for non-adherence based on the possibility of a cognitive process intervention directed towards patients and the mutability of interventions. The typology was analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. A new self-reported scale to measure non-adherence was developed from the frequently reported reasons and compared to the Morisky scale. The conceptual models developed using ABM and CSM were tested using regression techniques to identify significant predictors of non-adherence. Results: Qualitative analysis supported the typology from the literature review, yet the quantitative exploratory factor analysis did not support it. Instead, four types of non-adherence each for cholesterol lowering (non-adherence due to managing issues, multiple medication issues, belief issues with medications, forgetfulness due to busy schedule) and asthma maintenance medications (non-adherence due to managing and availability issues, beliefs and convenience issues, cost issues, forgetfulness due to busy schedule) were identified. Predisposing factors such as concern beliefs in medications, enabling factors such as self efficacy, and need factors such as self health and illness perceptions, and severity of disease were significant predictors of medication non-adherence. The Reasons scale had moderate levels of agreement with the Morisky scale based on kappa coefficients. Conclusion: No one typology of medication non-adherence fit cholesterol lowering and asthma maintenance medications, and the typology was driven by type of disease condition and reasons for non-adherence. The Reasons scale measured and categorized non-adherence better than the Morisky scale. Adding CSM to ABM facilitated in identifying predictors of medication non-adherence.

Background: Improving adherence to medication is a persistent challenge within the health system. Adherence is influenced by many factors at the patient, provider, treatment and health system levels. Adherence may also be affected by continuity of care; defined as the consistent professional relationship between a health provider or source of care and a patient. Objective: To estimate the strength of association between continuity of community pharmacy care and adherence to statin medication among persons initiating statin therapy in Nova Scotia between 1998 and 2008.  Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study using administrative data from the Nova Scotia Seniors’ Pharmacare program. Subjects were included if they were dispensed at least one prescription for a statin medication between 1998 and 2008. Continuity of care was calculated via two methods: the Usual Provider of Care (UPC) index and the Continuity of Care Index (COCI), which measure the density and dispersion of relational continuity of care, respectively. Adherence was calculated using the medication possession ratio. The strength of association between continuity of care and adherence was analyzed using hierarchical regression. Results: During the study period, 31 592 individual subjects received a first statin dispensation. Adjusted hierarchical regression showed that for each 0.10 increase in continuity of care, the odds of adherence increase by 3% (95% CI: 1.01-1.05). Continuity of care measured by the UPC is highly correlated with continuity of care measured by the COCI (r=0.98). Conclusions: Continuity of community pharmacy care is positively associated with adherence to statins among Nova Scotian seniors who initiated statin therapy between 1998 and 2008.

Class of 2007 Abstract / Objectives: A prescription claims database from COPE Behavioral Services in Tucson, Arizona was used to retrospectively assess the differences between patients receiving <4 and those receiving > 4 psychotropic medications over a 12-month period in adult patients with schizophrenia. Methods: Medication groups (i.e., < 4 versus > 4 concomitant psychotropic agents) were compared for differences in gender, age, duplication of antipsychotic therapy, adherence rates, court order treatment status, psychiatric hospitalization rates and length of stay, cost of services provided, and concomitant psychotropic medications. Results: A total of 506 adult patients with schizophrenia (F=214 and M=292) met the inclusion criteria for receiving psychotropic medications during the 12-month study. Of those, 388 patients (76.7%) were found to have an average of < 4 medications, while 118 patients (23.3%) were found to have > 4 medications. Duplication of antipsychotic therapy was more common in the > 4 group (29.7%) compared to the < 4 group (3.1%), p < 0.001. Psychotropic adherence rates were significantly higher in the > 4 group based on month’s supply of prescriptions. Demographic differences between groups included: increased age, more women, fewer court order status, and higher cost of care in the > 4 compared to the < 4 medication group. No differences in hospitalizations, length of stay, and hospital costs were found between groups. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that patients with schizophrenia with increased rates of polypharmacy have higher adherence rates, more duplication of antipsychotics, and a higher cost of care (i.e., case management, laboratory, other services, total prescription costs) compared to patients receiving < 4 psychotropic medications.

Heart failure is a chronic condition that increases the risk for death and disability. Beta blockers and ACE inhibitors have become standard treatments in heart failure because clinical trials have demonstrated their beneficial effect on mortality and morbidity in these patients. As not much is known about adherence to these medications, the main objectives of this project were to determine long term adherence to ACE inhibitors and beta blockers and determine how various degrees of adherence to a beta blocker can affect major health outcomes in patients with heart failure.<p> Data was obtained from Saskatchewan health from January 1, 1994 to December 31, 2003 for all heart failure patients from their first hospitalization for heart failure. Adherence was calculated using the fill frequency measure of adherence, and all survival analyses were completed using the Cox proportional hazards model.<p>Although 14, 000 patients were admitted to hospital for a first admission for heart failure, only 1143 subjects started a beta blocker and 5084 subjects started an ACE inhibitor within 3 months of the index hospitalization. Within the first year, adherence was excellent for both beta blockers (80.8 percent) and ACE inhibitors (82.5 percent). The proportion of patients remaining adherent slowly decreased to reach approximately 60 percent, for both medication classes, after 4 years. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality between patients with high adherence and low adherence, but there appeared to be a trend towards decreased survival time in those remaining adherent throughout the study period [HR = 1.18 (95% CI: 0.98 to 1.43; p=0.07)].<p>Since the overall rate of adherence to beta blockers was excellent in most patients during the first year, it is possible that non-adherence is not responsible for a significant burden of mortality in Saskatchewan heart failure patients, and perhaps and the focus of quality improvement should be optimal prescribing of evidence-based therapies, and continued adherence over time.

Disparities in medication adherence (MA) associated with African American (AA) adults may be related to a dynamic interplay between personal factors, behavioral capability, and environmental factors. The purpose of the study was to examine this relationship in AA adults with metabolic syndrome (MetS). A cross-sectional, correlational analysis was conducted from baseline data from a larger intervention study. Constructs from the Social Cognitive Theory were used to predict MA. The sample of 91 AA adults with MetS was primarily middle-aged (age range 45-70 years old; M 53, SD 6.3), female (79%), relatively well-educated, and married. Despite being on antihypertensive medications, 53% of the participants presented with uncontrolled high blood pressure (≥130/90 mmHg). Although the vast majority (95%) of the sample displayed adequate health literacy (HL), 30% of the sample was non-adherent to their medication regimen. A positive significant relationship was found between age and MA [χ2 (1, n = 90) = 6.71, p = .01)]. Stress [χ2 (1, n = 90) = 6.28, p = .012)] and social support (SS) [χ2 (1, n = 90) = 4.10, p = .04)] were the only significant relationships among environmental factors, barriers and hypertension MA. Highly stressed AA adults were significantly more likely to be non-adherent or had a 15% reduction in the odds of hypertension MA. Similarly, adults with a low income were 5.8 times more likely to be non-adherent (OR 5.828, 95% CI, 1.014-33.493, p= .0482), while those with low SS had a 9% reduction in the odds of MA; SS trended toward significance (OR.914. 95% CI .823-1.016, p =.09). With increasing age, AA adults were more likely to be non-adherent (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.028-1.220, p =.0096). Most of the participants reported a high degree of autonomy, satisfaction with their health care climate, and the availability of SS. Although increasing age, adequate SS, high stress, and adequate HL appeared to influence MA in AA adults with MetS, the research questions were only partially answered. Further investigation of the relationships and potential mediating pathways between personal characteristics, environmental factors, behavioral capability and hypertension MA in AA adults with MetS is needed.