Healthcare provider-led interventions to support medication adherence following ACS: a meta-analysis.

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the effectiveness of healthcare provider-led (HCPs) interventions to support medication adherence in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). A systematic search of Cochrane Library, Medline, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, IPA, CINAHL, ASSIA, OpenGrey, EthOS, WorldCat and PQDT was undertaken. Interventions were deemed eligible if they included adult ACS patients, were HCP-led, measured medication adherence and randomised participants to parallel groups. Intervention content was coded using the Behaviour Change Technique (BCT) Taxonomy and data were pooled for analysis using random-effects models. Our search identified 8870 records, of which 27 were eligible (23 primary studies). A meta-analysis (n=9735) revealed HCP-led interventions increased the odds of medication adherence by 54% compared to control interventions (k=23, OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.26 to 1.88, I2=57.5%). After removing outliers, there was a 41% increase in the odds of medication adherence with moderate heterogeneity (k=21, OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.21 to 1.65, I2=35.3%). Interventions that included phone contact yielded (k=12, OR 1.63, 95% CI 1.25 to 2.12, I2=32.0%) a larger effect compared to those delivered exclusively in person. A total of 32/93 BCTs were identified across interventions (mean=4.7, SD=2.2) with 'information about health consequences' (BCT 5.1) (19/23) the most common. HCP-led interventions for ACS patients appear to have a small positive impact on medication adherence. While we were able to identify BCTs among interventions, data were insufficient to determine the impact of particular BCTs on study effectiveness. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42016037706.

Systematic reviews: causes of non-adherence to P2Y12 inhibitors in acute coronary syndromes and response to intervention.

To understand the factors associated with non-adherence to oral antiplatelet (OAP) therapy in acute coronary syndromes (ACS), and where interventions have modified these factors. Linked systematic reviews were undertaken in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-analysis guidelines, using CINAHL Plus, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and PubMed databases. The searches were limited to studies available in English and published from 2000 onwards; last run in June 2015. Review 1: factors. Fifteen articles were identified that reported 25 different factors associated with OAP non-adherence. Factors were categorised into: Demographic, Treatment, Healthcare System Processes, Clinical, Opportunity (ie, factors outside the patients, such as cost and healthcare access) and Psychosocial. It was not possible to determine if any of these factors were more impactful than others, either overall or temporally. Review 2: interventions. Six articles were identified that described interventions targeting adherence in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS)/coronary artery disease (CAD). Four broad categories of intervention were identified: treatment counselling and education, educational materials, SMS reminders and telephone monitoring and reinforcement delivered different practitioners. Only reminder-based interventions had a consistently successful impact on adherence outcomes at both 3 and 12 months. A number of factors are associated with OAP non-adherence, and encouragingly, there is some evidence of the effectiveness of intervention to modify treatment adherence in patients with ACS/CAD. Future evaluations ensuring a better cohesion between the factors studied as associated with non-adherence and those targeted by intervention would further increase understanding and lead to improved results.