Results of a randomized trial were encouraging but were not sustained.
Patients with heart failure who need multiple medications sometimes adhere poorly to their treatment regimens. Investigators from a single midwestern group practice conducted a trial involving 314 low-income patients with HF (age, ≥50). Participants were randomly assigned to a multilevel intervention program provided by a pharmacist (n=122) or to usual care (n=192) for 9 months, with a 3-month follow-up.
During the intervention, overall “taking adherence” (the percentage of prescribed medication taken) was 67.9% and 78.8% in the usual-care and intervention groups, respectively. However, the between-group difference decreased during the 3-month post-intervention follow-up (taking adherence, 66.7% in usual care and 70.6% in intervention). The …