The development and evaluation of an extended adherence support programme by community pharmacists for elderly patients at home

Objective - To devise, implement and evaluate a medication adherence support service by community pharmacists for elderly patients living at home and at risk of non-adherence. Method - Six community pharmacists identified patients who were 65 years of age and older, prescribed four or more regular medicines and living alone. A random sample of patients was visited at home and assessed for adherencer-related problems using a structured interview. The pharmacist then drew up an action plan in conjunction with the patient and general practitioner (GP), and returned for a second home visit, where the revised regime was delivered and explained. A self-reported adherence questionnaire was also administered. After two months an independent researcher visited the patients at home to assess progress. Setting - Six community pharmacies in the city of Leeds, UK, and patients' homes. Key findings - A total of 143 patients were recruited and 441 medicine-related problems were identified. Of these, 241 (55 per cent) required the provision of information and advice, 106 (24 per cent) required consultation with the GP and 86 (20 per cent) required changes in the presentation of the medicines. The median number of regular prescribed medicines fell from six to five (P