Coaching to better medication adherence: The pharmacist as a health coach

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to demonstrate improvements in medication adherence through a health coach intervention by a pharmacist. 

Methods: The study was a pre- and post-test study design over a 12-month period to evaluate the effects of an educational intervention on medication adherence.  Community pharmacists (n=8) identified patients to coach to better adherence.  The analysis included 36 patients with a Proportion of Days Covered (PDC) of <80%.  PDC and Gap in Therapy were assessed pre- and post-pharmacist intervention.

Results: The average PDC improved from 62.2% to 80.1% (p<0.001).  There was a significant improvement in the number of patients (n=20, 56%) with a PDC >80% at the completion of the intervention (p<0.001).  The average GAP decreased from 21.4 days at the start of the study to 10.4 days (p<0.001). 

Conclusion: The results of this study show that pharmacists trained as health coaches can be effective to improve medication adherence.  Health coaching techniques utilized by pharmacists can significantly improve patient adherence to medication therapy.  Pharmacists should consider health coach technique training to enhance their practice skills and improve patient care outcomes.