Patient adherence programs

Compliance Programs Compliance Programs address patient adherence to their prescribed medicines regimen. How does GuildCare software identify non-adherent patients? Compliance Programs comprises of: Simple support sessions with the patient where the pharmacist discusses any real or perceived barriers to adherence Relevant patient handouts such as Consumer Medicines Information CMI , sets goals for the next session Patient follow-up options such as SMS, email, phone calls by GuildCare Pharmacists Pharmacies delivering Compliance Programs may receive patient service fees from pharmaceutical companies.

New to Therapy Programs New to Therapy Programs work on the same principles as the Compliance Programs, the difference being the patient is identified as 'new' to the medication therapy. New to Therapy Programs: Promotes good routine at initation of treatment Educates patient on the importance of taking medication as prescribed Provide patient follow-up options such as SMS, phone calls by GuildCare Pharmacists Pharmacies delivering New to Therapy Programs may receive professional service fees from pharmaceutical companies.

Of course, text is just one channel. The very highest impact programs use multi-channel approaches that combine face-to-face elements, typically at treatment announcement or disbursement, coupled with informational resources, whether paper or digital, potentially follow-up phone calls as well as customized text messaging. Never forget that on average, your expensive, hard-fought efforts to get new patients on your drug are delivering half of what they should be delivering.

It's worth some effort and reflection to figure out how to put together a cohesive adherence approach to change this. It sounds complicated, but it's certainly no more complicated than the multi-channel approaches you've been putting together for your sales force and frankly, it can have a much bigger impact - assuming it's based on a thorough understanding of the non-adherence phenomenon itself.

It's worth some effort and reflection to figure out how to put together a cohesive adherence approach to change this, which we can discuss further in my next column. Kevin Dolgin is an independent consultant and President of Observia, a French company providing patient compliance programs.

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What seperates successful adherence programs from unsuccessful ones? So what separates the successful programs from the unsuccessful programs? As such, in terms of enlisting patients, here are a few main points: Counting on patients to enroll themselves is a bad idea.

For one thing, they tend not to do it. For another, those who do enroll have a tendency to be naturally conscientious and therefore probably more likely to have been adherent anyway. How long do patients stick with a program? What are the engagement trends over time?

What is the patient drop-off rate? Ideally, your program will have education and rewards components that keep patients interested and encourage long-term adherence and engagement. A common goal of patient adherence programs is to educate patients about their condition so they can make good choices regarding their medical care.

Incorporate quizzes so that you can use the results to understand what patients have learned through a program. Early on in your program, conversations with the patient can uncover personal barriers to adherence — physical, emotional, practical, or otherwise. A personal relationship with the patient can allow an agent to pick up on those cues in conversation, so that these barriers can be addressed throughout the full course of the program.

Once you have designed and implemented an adherence program that is engaging, relevant, and customizable to the patient, be sure to measure your program data to evaluate its success versus the developed outcomes criteria.

Work with your client to understand the measures of success in their eyes. The data collected in your program can yield valuable insights to help you enhance your programs in the future. Name required. Email will not be published required. Kevin Connolly. Kevin Connolly is the vice president, account management at C3i Healthcare Connections. He is a seasoned executive with extensive pharmaceutical sales and marketing experience as well as significant experience in the development and management of patient adherence, engagement and support programs.