Carefully seLected and Easily Accessible at No Charge Medications (CLEAN-Meds)

Unity Health Toronto

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Hypertension; Diabetes; Medication Adherence; Inappropriate Prescribing

Treatments: Other: Free and convenient medicine access

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02744963

15-114

Details and patient eligibility

About

This trial evaluates the effect of providing primary care patients with free and convenient access to a set of essential medicines. Half of the participants will receive free and convenient access to these essential medicines, while the other half will have usual access to medicines.

Full description

Medication adherence is one important determinant of health outcomes. Approximately one half of treatments for chronic disease are not taken as directed. Cost is one of several important causes of poor adherence and it is particularly important for vulnerable people.

The size of many formularies makes it difficult for clinicians to know the safest and most effective medications to prescribe. This may partially explain poor medication selection. Short lists of essential medications have improved the the quality of prescribing.

Enrollment: 784 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Cost related medicine non-adherence during last 12 months

Exclusion criteria

• Family member living at same address of patient who is already enrolled in this trial
• Patient joined practice during last 6 months

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

---

784 participants in 2 patient groups

Free and convenient medicine access

Experimental group

Description:

Free access to a list of essential medicines. Medicines are either mailed to the patient or dispensed at the point of care.

Treatment:

Other: Free and convenient medicine access

Usual medicine access

No Intervention group

Description:

Usual access to medicines.