Effect of a Multi-Dimensional and Inter-Sectoral Intervention on the Adherence of Psychiatric Patients

BACKGROUND In psychiatry, hospital stays and transitions to the ambulatory sector are susceptible to major changes in drug therapy that lead to complex medication regimens and common non-adherence among psychiatric patients. A multi-dimensional and inter-sectoral intervention is hypothesized to improve the adherence of psychiatric patients to their pharmacotherapy. METHODS 269 patients from a German university hospital were included in a prospective, open, clinical trial with consecutive control and intervention groups. Control patients (09/2012-03/2013) received usual care, whereas intervention patients (05/2013-12/2013) underwent a program to enhance adherence during their stay and up to three months after discharge. The program consisted of therapy simplification and individualized patient education (multi-dimensional component) during the stay and at discharge, as well as subsequent phone calls after discharge (inter-sectoral component). Adherence was measured by the "Medication Adherence Report Scale" (MARS) and the "Drug Attitude Inventory" (DAI). RESULTS The improvement in the MARS score between admission and three months after discharge was 1.33 points (95% CI: 0.73-1.93) higher in the intervention group compared to controls. In addition, the DAI score improved 1.93 points (95% CI: 1.15-2.72) more for intervention patients. CONCLUSION These two findings indicate significantly higher medication adherence following the investigated multi-dimensional and inter-sectoral program. TRIAL REGISTRATION German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00006358.