Healthier and wealthier older adults took more action following medication safety reviews

BACKGROUND: Medication therapy management (MTM) services provide essential reviews of drug regimens that may improve patient safety, health outcomes, and cost savings. This study aimed to assess patient self-reported behaviors following receipt of a pharmacist report.

METHODS: Follow-up surveys of 482 elderly pharmacy services patients were analyzed with multiple logistic regressions.

RESULTS: The odds of discussing the medication review with physicians, making changes recommended in the report, and doing both discussing and making a change were 65%, 60%, and 67% lower among those below poverty level than among those above poverty level; 95% CIs [0.15, 0.80], [0.18, 0.85], and 0.15, 0.73], respectively. The odds of those reporting good or excellent health of doing the combination of discussing the MTM report with physicians and to make a drug regimen change were 2 times higher than the odds those reporting poor to fair health, 95% CI [1.08, 3.65]. The odds of those using high-risk drugs of making changes in drug regimens and of both discussing with physicians and making changes were two times higher than the odds of those not using these drugs, 95% CIs [1.02, 4.31] and [1.20, 4.87], respectively. Gender, ethnicity, age group, rural status, prescription drug insurance, and high polypharmacy were not significant factors for acting upon the medication review in the adjusted model.

CONCLUSION: MTM services are associated with enhanced patient self-advocacy, but like other interventions they are constrained by social disparities. Greater attention to the resources of target populations to respond to pharmacy services is merited.