Systematic Pharmaceutical Educational Approach to Enhance Drug Adherence in Liver Transplant Recipients

Background Drug adherence is one of the most important factors determining graft and patient survivals after liver transplantation. A systematic pharmaceutical educational approach has been implemented to improve adherence in immunosuppressive drugs therapy at Siriraj Hospital. Methods This study was a single-center cross-sectional study of liver transplant patients who received pharmaceutical care from transplant pharmacists. The clinical pharmacy services, including medication review to emphasize patients' knowledge and awareness of immunosuppressive and general drug therapies with the use of various tools, were used to educate the patients. Drug-related problems (DRPs) and pre- and post-transplantation educational tests (divided into 3 parts: immunosuppressants [12 points], drug monitoring [6 points], and general drugs [2 points]) were analyzed. Results From October 2012 to September 2014, a total of 50 liver transplant recipients (86 visits) were enrolled. After the systematic pharmaceutical educational program, the average total score of post-transplantation educational test improved from 3.48 to 13.30 (P <.001). Likewise, the mean scores of all 3 parts significantly increased (part I: 2.28 vs 8.18 [P <.001]; part II: 0.75 vs 3.63 (P <.001); and part III: 0.46 vs 1.50 [P <.001]). The incidences of major DRPs, nonadherence, and adverse drug reactions were 8%, 4%, and 2%, respectively. Conclusions A systematic pharmaceutical educational approach can significantly improve patients' knowledge and awareness concerning immunosuppressive drug usage.