Improving Medication Adherence Education in Adults with Epilepsy
Abstract number :
V.010
Submission category :
2. Translational Research / 2A. Human Studies
Year :
2021
Submission ID :
1825522
Source :
www.aesnet.org
Presentation date :
12/1/2021 12:00:00 PM
Published date :
Nov 22, 2021, 06:43 AM
Authors :
Mengyao Zhao, MS,BSN - Barrow Neurological Institute; Ambike Bhraguvanshi, BSE,MS - Barrow Neurological Institute; Ernest Hanes, DO - Barrow Neurological Institute; Susan Herman, MD - Barrow Neurological Institute; Sirven Joseph, MD - Mayo Clinic; Karuna Sehdev, MBBS,MPH,CCRP - Barrow Neurological Institute
Rationale: Poor adherence to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) remains a significant challenge in epilepsy patients. Studies have shown that AED nonadherence rates range from 30 to 60 percent in adults and approximately 40 percent in children. Patient education has been proved an effective way to improve medication adherence. This study was conducted to improve medication adherence education for adults with Epilepsy at Barrow Neurological Institute Comprehensive Epilepsy Center.
Methods: Using the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Model for Improvement methodology, we designed iterative Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles to address barriers in medication adherence education. We developed a process map of the current workflow to identify the failure areas and focused on both patients' and providers' barriers to improve medication adherence education in adults with Epilepsy.
We conducted telephone call interviews to address patients' barriers, used a Pareto chart to analyze reasons, and tested several new interventions: sending out the second email to remind patients to complete medication adherence screening and conducting screening during Telehealth visit and in-person visit. In addition, a previous project of improving medication adherence toolkit was carried out by Epilepsy Learning Healthcare System (ELHS), including different education materials for various barriers. We integrated the ELHS education toolkit into nursing education visits and patient portals to promote medication adherence.
Results: The medication adherence education rate had significantly increased by following the new interventions, from a pre-intervention baseline of 73% to a peak of 100%. We described the percentage of patients receiving medication adherence education by a run chart. Along with the interventions, the medication adherence screening rate also increased from 20% to a peak of 100%. The nonadherence rate was 38% among these participants.
Conclusions: This project has successfully increased the medication adherence education in adults with epilepsy by addressing both patients' and providers' barriers through several interventions. Screening patients' medication adherence before the visit is not the best option compared to during the visit. Integrating the evidence-based toolkit into the patient portal could be an effective way to improve epilepsy care in clinical practices. All these strategies establish a standardized workflow to improve the quality of epilepsy care in clinical practices.
Funding: Please list any funding that was received in support of this abstract.: No funding.
Translational Research