Compliance and medication problems in chronic conditions

Abstract

Objectives: The project aimed to determine the level of medication compliance in patients having a chronic condition and to determine the types and frequency of medication-related problems identified by a pharmacist working in a community pharmacy. Method: The study population was identified from the database of patients receiving free medicinals under the ‘Pharmacy of your Choice’ scheme from a particular community pharmacy. Patients included in the study were older than 60 years of age and taking more than 3 drugs. A Compliance Questionnaire was distributed to these patients. The pharmacist classified medication problems and used a specifically developed data collection tool in order to collate all the relevant patient information. Key findings: Of the 75 patients included in the study, 33 (44%) said they never missed a dose whilst the remaining 42 (56%) were non-compliant. Out of the 205 medication-related problems identified, the most common medication-related problems observed were non-compliance (56%) and the occurence of adverse drug reactions (55%). Conclusion: Compliance is a significant medication-related problem encountered by community pharmacists amongst elderly patients receiving multiple drug therapy for their chronic conditions.