Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Apr 1;8(4):e12527.
doi: 10.2196/12527.

A Medication Synchronization Program and Blood Pressure Levels in a Community Pharmacy: Protocol

Anthony Pattin #  1 , Rebekah L Panak #  1 , Rebecca Hunold  1 , Abagail Kirwen  1 , Samantha R Minnich  1 , Tian Chen  2
Affiliations

A Medication Synchronization Program and Blood Pressure Levels in a Community Pharmacy: Protocol

Anthony Pattin et al. JMIR Res Protoc. .

Abstract

Background: The lack of adherence to prescribed antihypertensive medication occurs in 50% of patients and leads to poor health outcomes and increased medical costs. Consistent use of antihypertensive medications among patients with hypertension is essential to the reduction of short- and long-term cardiovascular complications. Strategies to improve medication adherence include syncing prescription medications in the pharmacy, which allow patients to retrieve chronically prescribed medications in one visit. The adoption of medication synchronization has been shown to improve adherence to medications; however, there is a lack of data showing if the intervention reduces blood pressure and improves long-term health outcomes.

Objective: This study aims to determine the association between participation in an appointment-based medication synchronization service and blood pressure levels among patients on antihypertensive medications.

Methods: This longitudinal prospective cohort study will observe changes in blood pressure among individuals in a medication synchronization program and those in a usual care group. Patients on at least two antihypertensive medications and four total medications have been recruited to participate in the study. All participants will be required to have at least a 6-month history of filling prescriptions at the pharmacy prior to enrollment in the study. Based on an estimated standard deviation of 14 mmHg, a sample size of 70 participants provides approximately 80% power with a two-sided .05 significance to detect a difference of 9 mmHg blood pressure between the two cohorts.

Results: As of the publication of this paper, patients are completing final blood pressure visits at the pharmacy and medication data are being collected from the pharmacy. Once patients complete all blood pressure visits, data analysis will begin.

Conclusions: This study will link medication synchronization and changes in blood pressure levels among individuals with hypertension. This study will provide preliminary data for a randomized clinical trial that will assess the impact of medication synchronization on blood pressure.

International registered report identifier (irrid): DERR1-10.2196/12527.

Keywords: hypertension; medication synchronization; pharmacy practice.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Study diagram.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Yoon PW, Gillespie CD, George MG, Wall HK, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Control of hypertension among adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, United States, 2005-2008. MMWR Suppl. 2012 Jun 15;61(2):19–25.su6102a4 - PubMed
    1. Go AS, Bauman MA, Coleman King SM, Fonarow GC, Lawrence W, Williams KA, Sanchez E. An effective approach to high blood pressure control: A science advisory from the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2014 Apr 01;63(12):1230–1238. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2013.11.007. https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0735-1097(13)06077-4 S0735-1097(13)06077-4 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ho PM, Bryson CL, Rumsfeld JS. Medication adherence: Its importance in cardiovascular outcomes. Circulation. 2009 Jun 16;119(23):3028–3035. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.108.768986.119/23/3028 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Holdford D, Saxena K. Impact of appointment-based medication synchronization on existing users of chronic medications. J Manag Care Spec Pharm. 2015 Aug;21(8):662–669. doi: 10.18553/jmcp.2015.21.8.662. doi: 10.18553/jmcp.2015.21.8.662.2015(21)8: 662-669 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Doshi JA, Lim R, Li P, Young PP, Lawnicki VF, State JJ, Troxel AB, Volpp KG. A synchronized prescription refill program improved medication adherence. Health Aff (Millwood) 2016 Dec 01;35(8):1504–1512. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2015.1456.35/8/1504 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources