Impact of Information Prescriptions on Medication Adherence in Emergency Department (ED) Patients

Johns Hopkins University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Medication Adherence; Patient Compliance; Medication Non-Adherence

Treatments: Behavioral: Information prescriptions

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT01174706

1RC1LM010424-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

NA_00038209

Details and patient eligibility

About

The main objectives of this research are:

1. To identify factors that influence medication adherence rates in Emergency Department (ED) patients.
2. To measure the effects of alternative information prescriptions on medication adherence rates of ED patients.
3. To measure the effects of alternative information prescriptions (IRxs) on health and service utilization.

Full description

People who are prescribed self-administered medications frequently take less than half the doses. Poor adherence to medication regimens is associated with worsening of disease, death and increased health care costs in the United States. The few studies conducted in the emergency department (ED) setting suggest that between 7 to 45 percent of patients do not fill their prescription; one study conducted in Canada reported that 45% of ED patients did not follow their prescribed regimen. One strategy that may improve medication adherence among ED patients is a better information exchange between the patient, provider and the health care system. This study will use a randomized controlled trial to test the effect that two alternative ways of delivering information prescriptions (IRxs) have on medication adherence and treatment outcomes of ED patients.

ED patients treated and released with a prescribed medication(s) from three hospitals serving different patient populations in the Baltimore metropolitan area over a 9 month period will be included in the study. Research assistants will consent eligible patients, interview them prior to ED discharge and randomize subjects to one of four study groups: (1) usual care (medication prescription and instructions provided at discharge); (2) practical assistance which consists of giving information to help subject obtain medicine (i.e. programs that offer drugs more cheaply, pharmacy hours of operation, etc)(3) an IRx that includes a MedlinePlus referral plus written information from MedlinePlus customized to the subject's health problem and prescribed medication; or (4) an IRx that consists of practical assistance and MedlinePlus referral plus customized written information from MedlinePlus plus access to information services provided by a medical librarian, herein referred to as a clinical informationist or informationist. Subjects will be contacted by telephone one week post ED visit and queried about medication use and patient outcomes (self-reported health, satisfaction with ED visit, and ED revisits or hospitalizations) and use of Internet to access health information. Medication instructions and ED discharge diagnosis data will be extracted from subjects' electronic medical record and use of informationist services documented. Medication adherence rates and patient outcomes will be compared among study groups. Self-reported use of MedlinePlus will also be compared to electronic data for all subjects. Self-reported medication and ED revisits/hospitalizations will be compared to pharmacy claims and utilization data for subjects covered by Medicaid.

Enrollment: 3,940 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria: The study population will consist of adult patients who present to one of these three EDs during a 6 - 9 month period and are discharged with a medication regimen, either a prescription or over the counter (OTC) medication.

Exclusion Criteria: Patients will be excluded for the following reasons: (1) less than 18 years of age at time of ED visit; (2) non English or non Spanish speaking; (3) unable to understand consent or complete the baseline interview for cognitive, psychiatric or substance abuse reasons.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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3,940 participants in 4 patient groups

Usual care arm

Experimental group

Description:

Patients randomized to this group will receive usual care. Usual care at the three study sites varies but will be defined as whatever information is usually given to patients regarding the prescription medication or over the counter medicine they were prescribed at emergency department discharge.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Information prescriptions

Information prescription

Experimental group

Description:

Patients randomized to this arm will receive written information from Medline Plus regarding the prescription or over the counter medicine they have been prescribed at ED discharge plus information on their health condition.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Information prescriptions

Informationist

Experimental group

Description:

Patients in this arm will receive the same information as patients in group 2 but will also be given contact information for a clinical informationist if they have further questions about their prescription medicine or over the counter medicine prescribed at ED discharge.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Information prescriptions

practical assistance

Experimental group

Description:

Subjects will be offered practical assistance with obtaining prescription such as location of most convenient pharmacy and hours of operation, programs that offer drugs more cheaply, fax prescription from ED to pharmacy

Treatment:

Behavioral: Information prescriptions