Prescription Abandonment: Another Path to Medication Nonadherence

Editorials16 November 2010Prescription Abandonment: Another Path to Medication NonadherenceMichael D. Murray, PharmD, MPH and Jeff Harrison, PhDMichael D. Murray, PharmD, MPHFrom Purdue University College of Pharmacy and Regenstrief Institute, Indianapolis, IN 46202, and University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. and Jeff Harrison, PhDFrom Purdue University College of Pharmacy and Regenstrief Institute, Indianapolis, IN 46202, and University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-153-10-201011160-00014 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Pharmacologic interventions are important and ubiquitous in modern health care. Whether a patient ultimately implements a treatment regimen depends on a complex mixture of physician decision making, the availability and affordability of the treatment, and the patient's willingness to obtain the treatment and use it as prescribed. Failure to obtain a prescribed medication from a pharmacy is a primary failure of treatment adherence. Several studies indicate that 17% to 20% of patients do not collect new prescriptions from pharmacies (1–3). In a study representing more than 80% of retail pharmacy prescriptions in the United States (4), patients abandoned 5.1% and ...References1. Shah NR, Hirsch AG, Zacker C, Wood GC, Schoenthaler A, Ogedegbe G, et al. Predictors of first-fill adherence for patients with hypertension. Am J Hypertens. 2009;22:392-6. [PMID: 19180061] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Karter AJ, Parker MM, Moffet HH, Ahmed AT, Schmittdiel JA, Selby JV. New prescription medication gaps: a comprehensive measure of adherence to new prescriptions. 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Explaining the increase in family financial pressures from medical bills between 2003 and 2007: do affordability thresholds change over time? Med Care Res Rev. 2010;:. [PMID: 20829239] MedlineGoogle Scholar8. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Aggregate health care out-of-pocket expenditures in 2008, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2010. Accessed at www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2010/ted_20100325.htm on 29 September 2010. Google Scholar9. Blumenthal D, Tavenner M. The "meaningful use" regulation for electronic health records. N Engl J Med. 2010;363:501-4. [PMID: 20647183] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. Strom BL, Schinnar R, Aberra F, Bilker W, Hennessy S, Leonard CE, et al. Unintended effects of a computerized physician order entry nearly hard-stop alert to prevent a drug interaction: a randomized controlled trial. Arch Intern Med. 2010;170:1578-83. [PMID: 20876410] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar11. Astrand B, Montelius E, Petersson G, Ekedahl A. Assessment of ePrescription quality: an observational study at three mail-order pharmacies. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2009;9:8. [PMID: 19171038] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar12. Tarn DM, Paterniti DA, Kravitz RL, Heritage J, Liu H, Kim S, et al. How much time does it take to prescribe a new medication? Patient Educ Couns. 2008;72:311-9. [PMID: 18406562] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar13. Murray MD. Medication instruction by pharmacists: making good on an offer. N C Med J. 2007;68:343-5. [PMID: 18183756] MedlineGoogle Scholar14. Devine EB, Hollingworth W, Hansen RN, Lawless NM, Wilson-Norton JL, Martin DP, et al. Electronic prescribing at the point of care: a time-motion study in the primary care setting. Health Serv Res. 2010;45:152-71. [PMID: 19929963] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar15. Murray MD, Darnell J, Weinberger M, Martz BL. Factors contributing to medication noncompliance in elderly public housing tenants. Drug Intell Clin Pharm. 1986;20:146-52. [PMID: 3948692] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar16. DiMatteo MR, Giordani PJ, Lepper HS, Croghan TW. Patient adherence and medical treatment outcomes: a meta-analysis. Med Care. 2002;40:794-811. [PMID: 12218770] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar17. Steiner JF, Ho PM, Beaty BL, Dickinson LM, Hanratty R, Zeng C, et al. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics are not clinically useful predictors of refill adherence in patients with hypertension. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2009;2:451-7. [PMID: 20031876] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar18. Shaya FT, Du D, Gbarayor CM, Frech-Tamas F, Lau H, Weir MR. Predictors of compliance with antihypertensive therapy in a high-risk medicaid population. J Natl Med Assoc. 2009;101:34-9. [PMID: 19245070] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar19. Ho PM, Tsai TT, Maddox TM, Powers JD, Carroll NM, Jackevicius C, et al. Delays in filling clopidogrel prescription after hospital discharge and adverse outcomes after drug-eluting stent implantation: implications for transitions of care. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2010;3:261-6. [PMID: 20407117] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar20. Tjia J, Briesacher BA, Soumerai SB, Pierre-Jacques M, Zhang F, Ross-Degnan D, et al. Medicare beneficiaries and free prescription drug samples: a national survey. J Gen Intern Med. 2008;23:709-14. [PMID: 18365289] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Purdue University College of Pharmacy and Regenstrief Institute, Indianapolis, IN 46202, and University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.Acknowledgment: The authors thank Ms. Lisa Marchino for assistance with this editorial.Grant Support: Dr. Harrison is the recipient of a New Zealand Fulbright Senior Scholar Award.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M10-2262.Corresponding Author: Michael D. Murray, PharmD, MPH, Regenstrief Center for Health Care Improvement and Research, 1050 Wishard Boulevard, RG5, Indianapolis, IN 46202.Current Author Addresses: Dr. Murray: Regenstrief Center for Health Care Improvement and Research, 1050 Wishard Boulevard, RG5, Indianapolis, IN 46202.Dr. Harrison: School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoThe Epidemiology of Prescriptions Abandoned at the Pharmacy William H. Shrank , Niteesh K. Choudhry , Michael A. Fischer , Jerry Avorn , Mark Powell , Sebastian Schneeweiss , Joshua N. Liberman , Timothy Dollear , Troyen A. Brennan , and M. 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A simple question to predict interferon β-1a adherence in multiple sclerosisAssessmentSurveillance of medication use: early identification of poor adherenceForum 16 November 2010Volume 153, Issue 10Page: 680-681KeywordsData managementDrugsElderlyHealth careInformation storage and retrievalInformation technologyPatientsPharmacistsSafetyTreatment guidelines ePublished: 16 November 2010 Issue Published: 16 November 2010 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2010 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...