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Evaluation of treatment response: Effects of patient compliance and treatment
172
ABSTRACTS:
HIGH
BLOOD
PRESSURE
COh’TROL
A-103
EVALUATION OF COMMUNITY PHARMACIST IMPACT ON DRUG COMPLIANCE OF HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS William L. Hightower, University of Texas College of Pharmacy, Austin, Edwin A. Mandel, San Antonio, Texas; Robert Brown, Austin, Texas.
Texas;
The objective of this study is to measure the impact of pharmacist on drug compliA total of 31 community pharmacists have been ance of hypertensive patients. participating in this study on drug compliance since September 1977. The pharmacists were divided into three study groups which differ according to amount and level of interaction with newly diagnosed hypertensive patients. The evaluative methodology to measure the significance of the pharmacist activity was twofold. An index number associated with First of all, the refill records were surveyed. the total number of doses dispensed as a percentage of total number of doses preSecond, a questionnaire was developed with specified scribed was calculated. These weights were aggregated into another weights assigned to patient responses. Finally, the patients were index number that illustrated patient drug compliance. assigned to one of four categories according to these compliance index numbers. The four categories are poorly compliant, minimally compliant, moderately compliant The data were analyzed to determine if there was a statisand highly compliant. tically significant difference in drug compliance of patients between the three This study is an effort to evaluate the community pharmagroups of pharmacists. It is believed that this health cist activities in an innovative clinical role. professional should be more greatly utilized within the current health care Specific conclusions and recommendations will be presented at the delivery system. time of the conference.
A-104
EVALUATIONOF TREATMENTRESPONSE: EFFECTSOF PATIENT COI*IPLIANCEMJD TREATMENT Martha Hill, Philadelphia,
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 34th & Spruce Sts., PA, 19143; W. Herbert Springall, Bryan Dowd, Michael Reichgott
A useful method of measuring the severity of hypertension and treatment response was required for use in comparing treatment outcomes and planning resource allocations. Preliminary results from a time series treatment study, utilizing data retrospectively abstracted from 303 medical records of patients with essential hypertension and stratified by race, sex and 3 age groups indicate that (1) patients compliance with medication and visit interval prescription has a positive effect on treatment response and (2) compliance does not seem to systematically related to patient demographics. Early evaluation of the data confirms the difficulty of assessing the efficacy of blood pressure as the sole measure of severity and also confirms the benefit of frequent adjustments in medication regimen in maintaining blood pressure control. Current research includes investigation of patterns of attendance and recividism. A major obstacle for further research in the ambulatory setting is the difficulty of obtaining funding for basic statistical analysis.
ABSTRACTS:
HIGH
BLOOD
PRESSURE
COh’TROL
A-103
EVALUATION OF COMMUNITY PHARMACIST IMPACT ON DRUG COMPLIANCE OF HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS William L. Hightower, University of Texas College of Pharmacy, Austin, Edwin A. Mandel, San Antonio, Texas; Robert Brown, Austin, Texas.
Texas;
The objective of this study is to measure the impact of pharmacist on drug compliA total of 31 community pharmacists have been ance of hypertensive patients. participating in this study on drug compliance since September 1977. The pharmacists were divided into three study groups which differ according to amount and level of interaction with newly diagnosed hypertensive patients. The evaluative methodology to measure the significance of the pharmacist activity was twofold. An index number associated with First of all, the refill records were surveyed. the total number of doses dispensed as a percentage of total number of doses preSecond, a questionnaire was developed with specified scribed was calculated. These weights were aggregated into another weights assigned to patient responses. Finally, the patients were index number that illustrated patient drug compliance. assigned to one of four categories according to these compliance index numbers. The four categories are poorly compliant, minimally compliant, moderately compliant The data were analyzed to determine if there was a statisand highly compliant. tically significant difference in drug compliance of patients between the three This study is an effort to evaluate the community pharmagroups of pharmacists. It is believed that this health cist activities in an innovative clinical role. professional should be more greatly utilized within the current health care Specific conclusions and recommendations will be presented at the delivery system. time of the conference.
A-104
EVALUATIONOF TREATMENTRESPONSE: EFFECTSOF PATIENT COI*IPLIANCEMJD TREATMENT Martha Hill, Philadelphia,
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 34th & Spruce Sts., PA, 19143; W. Herbert Springall, Bryan Dowd, Michael Reichgott
A useful method of measuring the severity of hypertension and treatment response was required for use in comparing treatment outcomes and planning resource allocations. Preliminary results from a time series treatment study, utilizing data retrospectively abstracted from 303 medical records of patients with essential hypertension and stratified by race, sex and 3 age groups indicate that (1) patients compliance with medication and visit interval prescription has a positive effect on treatment response and (2) compliance does not seem to systematically related to patient demographics. Early evaluation of the data confirms the difficulty of assessing the efficacy of blood pressure as the sole measure of severity and also confirms the benefit of frequent adjustments in medication regimen in maintaining blood pressure control. Current research includes investigation of patterns of attendance and recividism. A major obstacle for further research in the ambulatory setting is the difficulty of obtaining funding for basic statistical analysis.