Abstract

EVALUATION OF EFFECT OF PHARMACIST PROVIDED EDUCATION ON MEDICATION ADHERENCE BEHAVIOR OF PATIENTS WITH POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY

Renuka R.* and Dr. Abel Abraham Thomas

Abstract

Background: Polycystic ovarian syndrome is a heterogeneous endocrine disorder that affects 1 in 15 women worldwide. The incidence rate appears to be on the increase due to change in lifestyle and stress. There are few studies with inconsistent data in the Indian literature regarding medication adherence behavior of PCOS patients. It is estimated that 50% of prescriptions fail to produce desired results because of improper use. Increasing the effectiveness of adherence interventions may have greater impact on therapeutic outcome.[2,3,5] Objective: To evaluate the effect of pharmacist provided education on medication adherence behavior of PCOS patients. Study Setting and Methodology: A Prospective Observational study conducted in 120 patients diagnosed with PCOS as per Rotterdam‘s criteria in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital for a period of 5 months after getting approval from Human Ethical Committee. Medication adherence was assessed using Brief Medication Questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered to the patient before and after counseling to find out the impact of pharmacist provided counseling on medication adherence. Results and Discussion: The Questionnaire consists of four screens- Regimen screen, Belief screen, Recall screen and Access screen. The total screen for adherence was decreased from 5.6 to 2.5 and the change was significant at 0.01level. Regimen screen, Belief screen, Recall screen and Access screen scores were significantly reduced and medication adherence improved after Pharmacist provided counseling. Total score for medication adherence was decreased significantly and patients become more adherent to medications after pharmacist provided education.

Keywords: Polycystic ovarian syndrome adherent provided education.