Pilot Testing Of A Brief Pre-Consultation Screener For Improving The Identification And Discussion Of Medication Adherence In Routine Consultations

OBJECTIVE: One of the challenges in being able to identify and manage medication adherence problems in routine practice is that patients are often reluctant to “admit to” non-adherence, particularly when asked in a direct way. The study reported in this paper has been designed as part of an attempt to address this problem by examining the value of a new brief medicines use screener in helping patients to identify and discuss adherence issues in a clinical setting. METHODS: 145 Patients with type 2 diabetes completed the new screener (MMWFU) together with an adherence self-report scale (MMAS4) and medication beliefs questionnaire (BMQ). Correlations between the scales were assessed together with an assessment of the sensitivity and specificity of the new screener. RESULTS: 126 (88%) of the sample identified at least one medicines-related issue on the MMWFU, which showed strong correlations with the MMAS4 and BMQ Concerns scales, as well as good sensitivity and specificity against the MMAS4. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that the new screener can serve as a fairly sensitive indicator of non-adherence and its determinants. Future studies will be needed to establish how well it performs in other clinical settings.