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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Betsy Lynn Sleath, PhD, School of Pharmacy Beard Hall, University of North Carolina, CB # 7360, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7360, 919-304-4552, betsy_sleath@unc.edu and Richard H Rubin, MD, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Department of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM 87131-5271.
The purpose of the study was to examine how Hispanic ethnicity and physician-patient communcation influenced antidepressant adherence. Limited prior work has examined ethnic differences in antidepressant use. Data were collected between March and December of 1995 at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center's general medicine and family practice clinics. Twenty-seven resident physicians and 403 Hispanic and non-Hispanic white patients participated. When patients were recruited into the study, their medical visits were audio-taped recorded and their medical and pharmacy records were reviewed. According to medical record data, 104 patients were prescribed a new or refill antidepressant on the date of the audio-taped visit. Out of the 104 patients, 79 had their prescriptions filled at the UNM outpatient pharmacy so they were included in the adherence analysis. A multivariate linear regression was conducted to examine how patient ethnicity, age, gender, educational level, type of antidepressant (SSRI versus non-SSR), status of antidepressant (new or refill), and physician-patient communication about antidepressants influenced adherence. Hispanic patients and patients on continued therapy were significantly less likely to be adherent to their antidepressants than non-Hispanic white patients and patients on new therapy. The mean adherence rate was 59 percent for Hispanic patients and 76 percent for non-Hispanic white patients. Physician-patient communication about antidepressants did not influence patient adherence. Future research needs to further explore the relationship between Hispanic ethnicity and antidepressant adherence.
Learning Objectives:
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.