Patient awareness of serious consequences of non-adherence to antiplatelet therapy after coronary stenting

Recognition and control of hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Absolute cardiovascular risk of an individual with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is greater when compared to the general population, and several factors have proven to be important for the development of coronary artery disease (CAD) in these patients, including factors related to the underlying disease, such as the systemic inflammatory response, drugs used in its treatment, and a higher prevalence of traditional risk factors for CAD. Our aim is to describe the recognition and control frequencies of systemic arterial hypertension (SAH), dyslipidemia, and diabetes mellitus (DM) in RA patients. Patients with RA answered a questionnaire focused on their general knowledge of the risk factors for CAD, as well as on the recognition of the risk factors that they possess. The patient's information, collected from a structured medical record, was reviewed to evaluate the control of risk factors. Hundred and thirty-four patients were included in the study. One patient was excluded due to the impossibility of reviewing her medical records. Therefore, 133 patients remained in the study. Patients had a mean (SD) age of 57.3 (12.9) years. SAH was diagnosed in 88 subjects, with a recognition frequency of 89.8%, and 63.3% had desirable blood pressure control. Seventy-two patients were diagnosed with dyslipidemia; 68.1% recognized that they had dyslipidemia and 69.4% achieved desirable LDL-c control. Twenty-two patients had DM; 90.9% admitted being diabetic and 40.9% had desirable glycemic control. The frequencies of the CAD risk factor recognition and control were high in comparison to those described for the general population.

Impact of a web-based intervention on the awareness of medication adherence

BACKGROUND

Medication nonadherence is a widely recognized problem that leads to adverse outcomes and increased health care costs. Reasons for medication nonadherence are multifactorial, and patient awareness of the salience of medication adherence is critical.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this research was to assess the impact of a pharmacist-led, web-based video presentation in increasing patients' awareness of the importance of medication adherence.

METHODS

Patients aged 35 years and above, taking at least 1 chronic prescription medication were included in the study (n = 166). Patients completed a pre-survey, watched a pharmacist-led web-based video presentation educating them on the importance of medication adherence, then completed a 1-month follow-up survey. The primary outcome was measurement of change in patients' awareness of the importance of medication adherence.

RESULTS

Results indicated a statistically significant increase in the primary outcome of increasing awareness of the importance of medication adherence. More patients in the follow-up survey indicated that it was important for their health to take their medications around the same time daily (P = 0.002), and more patients identified that their family will be impacted as a result of their medication nonadherence (P = 0.001) as compared to the pre-survey. More patients in the follow-up survey reported that they expected to experience fewer emergency room visits (P = 0.0001) and anticipated that they would get more time to spend with friends and family (P = 0.0039) as benefits of taking medications as prescribed.

CONCLUSION

A pharmacist-led web-based video presentation may be a low-cost intervention to increase patients' awareness of the importance of medication adherence.