Feasibility and Acceptability of a Complex Intervention to Improve Initial Medication Adherence

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This pilot study aims to test the feasibility of the following effectiveness and cost-effectiveness evaluation using Real-World Data.

Detailed Description
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A cluster non-randomised pilot study with an embedded process evaluation was carried out to test the feasibility of the definitive cluster randomised controlled trial (cRCT). The cRCT will aim to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the Initial Medication Adherence (IMA) intervention in comparison to usual care, to increase initiation of pharmacological treatments for CVD and diabetes (antihypertensive drugs, hypolipidemic drugs, antiplatelet drugs, and insulin and oral antidiabetics) prescribed in Primary Care (PC). The pilot study was conducted in five PC centres (PCC) in Catalonia (Spain), two were assigned to the control group and three to the intervention group. There were two target participants, the implementation targeted professionals (general practitioners (GP), nurses, and community pharmacists), and the population targeted by the intervention, PC patients. The IMA intervention provided healthcare professionals with the knowledge, skills, and tools to help the patient make an informed and shared decision with the GP to initiate a new CVD or diabetes treatment. Professionals were trained on the problem of non-initiation, communication skills, health literacy, and the use of decision aids (leaflets, website).

Official Title
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Pilot of a Complex Intervention to Improve Initial Medication Adherence to Cardiovascular and Diabetes Treatments in Primary Care

Conditions
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Adherence, Medication

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Initial Medication Adherence (IMA) Intervention
* Other: Usual Care


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Primary healthcare professionals and pharmacists who: • Agree to participate in the pilot study. Primary care patients who: Are prescribed a new treatment of cardiovascular disease o diabetes by a GP who participates in the clinical trial. Are >18 years old. Do not reject to participate.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Intervention group: IMA Intervention<br>General practitioners (GP) applied the IMA intervention to all patients receiving a new prescription for pharmacological treatments of cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Following the IMA intervention, nurses and community pharmacists offered information support in line with the information provided by the GP. Professionals had the intervention support tools available (leaflets, website and dispensing alert in community pharmacies). | Behavioral: Initial Medication Adherence (IMA) Intervention<br>* The IMA intervention promotes health literacy and patient participation in the decision-making process during the recommendation and prescription of a new drug for the management of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The IMA intervention has four main components: 1. Training for healthcare professionals (GPs, nurses, and community pharmacists) on non-initiation, shared-decision making, health literacy and use of decision aids; 2. Intervention support tools; decision aids (leaflets and website) and implementation tools (dispensing alert in community pharmacies when dispensing insulins and antiplatelet drugs); 3. Shared decision-making process during the GP's consultation; and 4. Information support provided by the nurses and community pharmacists that use the intervention decision aids to explore the patients' doubts and standardise the discourse between primary healthcare professionals.<br>|
| Active Comparator: Control group<br>Healthcare professionals from the control group prescribed medication and provided information as usual. | Other: Usual Care<br>* Patients received the usual care when being prescribed a new prescription for treatments of cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Nurses and community pharmacists were asked to also provide usual care to those patients. Community pharmacists from the control group had the dispensing alert available when dispensing insulins and antiplatelet drugs.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Rate of clinical registries related to diabetes mellitus II | Rate of registries recorded five months before and after the prescription of: Glycated haemoglobin Glomerular filtrate Blood glucose | 5 months before and after recruitment | 
| Rate of clinical registries related to dyslipidemia | Rate of registries recorded five months before and after the prescription of: Total colesterol HDL cholesterol LDL colesterol | 5 months before and after recruitment | 
| Rate of clinical registries related to hypertension | Rate of registries recorded one to two months before and after the prescription of: Systolic blood pressure Diastolic blood pressure | 2 months before and after recruitment | 
| Rate of clinical registries related to cardiovascular risk | Rate of registries recorded five months before and after the prescription of: • REGICOR | 5 months before and after recruitment | 
| Rate of use of services | Rate of use of services recorded five months before and after the prescription of: Visits to primary care (nurse, GP) Referrals to secondary care Productivity losses (sick leave days) Outpatient diagnostic tests | 5 months before and after recruitment | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Active diagnosis registry | Proportion of patients with a new prescription of cardiovascular disease and diabetes treatments and an active diagnosis in the electronic system. | 5 months before and after recruitment | 
| Missing registries | Number of registries missing. | 5 months before and after recruitment | 
| Outliers registries | Number of registries with values out of their range. | 5 months before and after recruitment | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Pilot Study, Feasibility Study, Complex Intervention, Real-World Data, Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes Mellitus