DESIGNING A PROTOCOL TO IDENTIFY AND IMPROVE ADHERENCE IN PATIENTS WITH ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY IN THE HOSPITAL SETTINGS.
European Statement
Clinical Pharmacy Services
Author(s)
Luis Díaz Suárez, Elena Sánchez-Yanez , Raquel López Escoz, Mercedes Gómez Delgado, Nuria Martínez Casanova, Isabel Moya Carmona
Why was it done?
The hospital pharmacist plays a role obtaining therapeutic success by improving the adherence. Our unit attends around 1900 HIV patients, so the interventions we make to improve adherence will have a positive impact on patients and community.
What was done?
The Pharmacy Service has developed a protocol for the identification of non-adherent HIV patients to treatment along with the pharmaceutical attendance strategies designed to improve the adherence to ART.
How was it done?
The protocol was drawn up with the recommendations of the National AIDS Plan(PNS), the Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy(SEFH) and the AIDS Study Group(GeSIDA). Thus, we wanted to provide a multidisciplinary approach for non-adherent patients. The relevant aspects of the protocol are described below:
1.-Identification of patients: Technical staff and pharmacists identify patients with poor adherence through dispensing records, a history of previous voluntary abandonment of ART or the presence of risk factors for poor adherence to ART.
2.-Pharmaceutical attendance following the CMO model.
· Data such as viral load, CD4, prescribed ART, pharmacotherapeutic complex index, home medication, polypharmacy, pluripathology and risk factor have
been collected. Adherence was calculated using dispensing records and adherence questionnaire(SMAQ).
· Health education and motivational interviewing.
· Personalised planning of patient care following face-to-face and non-face-to-face programs. Every 6months adherence will be re-evaluated to assess the
success of the pharmaceutical care offered.
What has been achieved?
The protocol was implemented in March-2021, and to date, 68patients have been included. 73.5%(n=50) of them have been followed for more than 6 months. 88% of whom(n=44) improved their adherence to both ART, all of them achieving an undetectable viral load and an elevation of the CD4 count.
What next?
Our desire is to continue detecting patients and to contribute to the improvement of the adherence to their treatment. We are aware of the challenge that lies ahead in the near future, as the progressive ageing of the HIV population means an increase in associated comorbidities and polypharmacy, which may have a negative impact on the adherence.