Evaluating the impact of Automatic Medication Reminders

Evaluating the impact of Automatic Medication Reminders (AMRs) in a primary care setting to reduce unintentional drug non-adherence and improve health status in older people

• Age well
• Live Well
• Reducing inequalities

Non-compliance is costly, prevalent, and problematic. Unintentional non-adherence accounts for about 70% of cases and is not well studied. Patients benefit from adherence when their health outcomes are improved. Automated medication reminders (AMR) are a novel, secure, and practical way to increase adherence that has been demonstrated to provide significant financial and patient benefits. To pre-fill and provide this intervention to patients 65 years of age or older who are prescribed at least two drugs, this project intends to enlist pharmacies in the areas of Luton, Bedfordshire, and Milton Keynes and look at how AMRs affect adherence, quality of life, and use of medical services. The uptake and engagement of AMRs, the delivery and integrity of the intervention, the mechanisms of action, and the contextual factors that affect:

a. engagement,

b. delivery,

c. experiences, and

d. will all be evaluated through a mixed methods process evaluation.

• To increase the medication adherence
• To improve the health status and quality of life
• To reduce the health service costs