Role of a National Health Service Electronic Prescriptions Database in the Detection of Prescribing and Dispensing Issues and Adherence Evaluation of Direct Oral Anticoagulants.

BACKGROUND: Anticoagulation therapy plays a crucial role in the management of atrial fibrillation (AF) by significantly reducing the risk of stroke. Direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) became preferred over warfarin due to their superior safety and efficacy profile. Assessing adherence to anticoagulation therapy is necessary in clinical practice for optimising patient outcomes and treatment efficacy, thus emphasising its significance. METHODS: A retrospective study utilised the Latvian National Health Service reimbursement prescriptions database, covering prescriptions for AF and flutter from January 2012 to December 2022. The proportion of days covered method was selected for adherence assessment, categorising it into three groups: (1) below 80%, (2) between 80% and 90%, and (3) above 90%. RESULTS: A total of 1,646,648 prescriptions were analysed. Dabigatran prescriptions started declining after 2020, coinciding with a decrease in warfarin prescriptions since 2018. The total adherence levels to DOAC therapy were 69.4%. Only 44.2% of users achieved an adherence level exceeding 80%. The rate of paper prescriptions decreased from 98.5% in 2017 to 1.3% in 2022. Additionally, the utilisation of international non-proprietary names reached 79.7% in 2022. Specifically, 16.7% of patients selected a single pharmacy, whereas 27.7% visited one or two pharmacies. Meanwhile, other patients obtained medicines from multiple pharmacies. CONCLUSIONS: The total adherence level to DOAC therapy is evaluated as low and there was no significant difference in age, gender, or "switcher" status among adherence groups. Physicians' prescribing habits have changed over a decade.

Epidemiology of Suicide Mortality in Paraguay from 2005 to 2019: A Descriptive Study.

Suicide is an important public health problem, fundamentally affecting the younger population and responding to multiple biological, psychological, and social causes. The objective of this study was to characterize changes in suicide mortality, suicide methods, and years of potential life lost from 2005 to 2019 in Paraguay. This observational, descriptive study used data from the Vital Statistics Information Subsystem of the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare. The average mortality rate from suicide was 4.9 per 100,000 inhabitants, with an increase from 4.2 between 2005 and 2009 to 5.8 from 2014 to 2019. Suicide was more common in men (75%) than in women. In men, the highest mortality rate was observed among those 20-24 years old, whereas in women, the ages most affected were the 15-19-year-old age group. The most-used method for suicide was hanging. The most frequent place of suicide occurrence was at home (73%). The seasonality of suicide occurrence showed a slight increase in the spring-summer months compared with autumn-winter (53% vs. 47%). The rate of potential years of life lost statistically significantly increased from 2005 to 2019. Public health measures need to be implemented to investigate the underlying reasons and implement interventions in the population to decrease suicide mortality in Paraguay.

Quantitative Adherence Level Evaluation Among Long-Term Antiretroviral Therapy Patients in Latvia.

Introduction: The global prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains substantial, particularly in regions with limited resources, despite the progress in scientific knowledge and the accessibility of antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART is the cornerstone of HIV treatment. Ensuring proper adherence to medication therapy is essential for effective HIV infection control. Meanwhile, Latvia reported one of the highest rates of HIV infections among EU countries. Purpose: This study aimed to assess adherence levels to ART among long-term users by utilizing the National Health Service prescription electronic database records. It is essential to determine whether non-adherence is a problem at the state level. Patients and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted utilizing the Latvian National Health Service's reimbursed prescription database, covering the period from January 2017 to December 2018. The analysis included ART prescriptions. Medication adherence was assessed using a Proportion of Days Covered (PDC) calculation. The adherence rates were categorized into three groups: (1) < 80% (non-adherence), (2) 80% to 90% (suboptimal adherence), and (3) > 90% (optimal adherence) groups. Results: A total of 25,892 ARV medicines prescription records for 1471 patients were analysed. The adherence level of long-term ART was 38.3%. Of all patients, only 37 (2.5%) had achieved an optimal and 25 (1.7%) suboptimal adherence level. Meanwhile, the remaining patients (95.8%) were identified as non-adherent to therapy. It has been determined that 96.1% (n=1414) of patients experienced a time gap of more than 90 days between their prescriptions at least once. On average, each patient had 3.5 of these gaps, with a maximum of 7 times. Conclusion: Medication adherence level to ART is low in Latvia. Less than 3% of patients achieved optimal adherence levels with a PDC higher than 90%. These results are concerning. Further studies and interventions must be conducted to enhance adherence levels.

Developing a medication adherence technologies repository: proposed structure and protocol for an online real-time Delphi study.

INTRODUCTION: An online interactive repository of available medication adherence technologies may facilitate their selection and adoption by different stakeholders. Developing a repository is among the main objectives of the European Network to Advance Best practices and technoLogy on medication adherencE (ENABLE) COST Action (CA19132). However, meeting the needs of diverse stakeholders requires careful consideration of the repository structure. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A real-time online Delphi study by stakeholders from 39 countries with research, practice, policy, patient representation and technology development backgrounds will be conducted. Eleven ENABLE members from 9 European countries formed an interdisciplinary steering committee to develop the repository structure, prepare study protocol and perform it. Definitions of medication adherence technologies and their attributes were developed iteratively through literature review, discussions within the steering committee and ENABLE Action members, following ontology development recommendations. Three domains (product and provider information (D1), medication adherence descriptors (D2) and evaluation and implementation (D3)) branching in 13 attribute groups are proposed: product and provider information, target use scenarios, target health conditions, medication regimen, medication adherence management components, monitoring/measurement methods and targets, intervention modes of delivery, target behaviour determinants, behaviour change techniques, intervention providers, intervention settings, quality indicators and implementation indicators. Stakeholders will evaluate the proposed definition and attributes' relevance, clarity and completeness and have multiple opportunities to reconsider their evaluations based on aggregated feedback in real-time. Data collection will stop when the predetermined response rate will be achieved. We will quantify agreement and perform analyses of process indicators on the whole sample and per stakeholder group. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval for the COST ENABLE activities was granted by the Malaga Regional Research Ethics Committee. The Delphi protocol was considered compliant regarding data protection and security by the Data Protection Officer from University of Basel. Findings from the Delphi study will form the basis for the ENABLE repository structure and related activities.

Adherence Level to Arterial Hypertension Treatment: A Cross-Sectional Patient Survey and Retrospective Analysis of the NHS Prescription Database.

One of the major problems in cardiology practice is poor adherence to antihypertensive medication. This study aimed to evaluate medication adherence; we also aim to investigate the predictors of intentional and unintentional non-adherence. We issued a survey containing questions about patient demographics, blood pressure control, pharmaceutical care, and adherence level to medication. Retrospective analysis of the prescription database of the National Health Service of the Republic of Latvia was performed. The prevalence of non-adherence was 45.9%. The lowest adherence rate (38.2%) was found among patients taking medication for 2-4.9 years. Even though 84.7% of respondents had a blood pressure monitor at home, only 25.3% of them reported measuring blood pressure regularly. There were differences between the groups of adherent patients in terms of the patients' net income (p = 0.004), medication co-payments (p = 0.007), and whether the pharmacist offered to reduce the costs of drug therapy (p = 0.002). Roughly half of the prescriptions (50.4%) containing perindopril were purchased by patients from pharmacies. The medication adherence level and blood pressure control at home were assessed as low. Intentionally non-adherent respondents discontinued their medication because of fear of getting used to medicines. The pharmacists' behaviour in terms of offering to reduce the costs of medications used was influenced by socio-economic factors.

Factors related to poor adherence in Latvian asthma patients.

BACKGROUND: The problem of nonadherence to therapy is a key reason of insufficient asthma control. Evaluating the beliefs about asthma medication, cognitive and emotional perceptions may help to identify patients with poor adherence to treatment in clinical practice which need additional attention in order to increase the likelihood of them taking their asthma medication according to the prescribed treatment protocol. The purpose of this study is to assess whether beliefs about asthma medication, cognitive and emotional factors are related to poor treatment adherence of asthma medication in a sample of asthma patients in Latvia. METHODS: Study subjects were asthma patients attending outpatient pulmonologist consultations in Latvia during September 2013 to December 2015. Beliefs about asthma medicine, cognitive and emotional factors related to asthma were determined in a cross-sectional, self-administered survey. The validated Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ) and the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (brief IPQ) were used. Treatment adherence was assessed using 5-item version of the Medication Adherence Reporting Scale (MARS). The total sample size was 352 patients. Logistic regression models were used to predict poor adherence to asthma treatment. The validity of each logistic regression model was assessed by the Hosmer/Lemeshow test. The main outcome measure was self-reported adherence to treatment. RESULTS: The more the patients agreed with the statement "My future health depends on my asthma medication" the lower the possibility of poor adherence to asthma treatment (OR 0.42; 95% CI 0.24-0.74). The more concerned the patients were in regard to long-term effects of their medication (OR 2; 95% CI 1.22-3.27), the higher the probability of poor treatment adherence. CONCLUSIONS: Screening asthma patients using the BMQ may help to identify those to benefit from interventions targeting their concerns and medication beliefs in order to improve adherence to asthma medication.

Knowledge about Disease, Medication Therapy, and Related Medication Adherence Levels among Patients with Hypertension.

Background and Objectives: A particular problem in cardiology is poor adherence to pharmacological treatment among patients with hypertension. It is known that approximately half of these patients do not use their medications as prescribed by their doctor. Patients may choose not to follow the doctor's recommendations and regularly do not control their blood pressure, owing to many factors. A convenient method for measuring the level of adherence is the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale, which also provides insight into possible remedies for low adherence. We investigated their therapy, knowledge about the disease and its control, and demographic differences to assess the adherence of patients with hypertension. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional observational study. Data were collected through a survey of 12 pharmacies in Latvia. The study involved 187 participants with hypertension. Results: The prevalence of non-adherence was 46.20% in Latvia. The oldest patients were the most adherent (p = 0.001, ß = 0.27). The higher the self-rated extent from 0 to 10, to which the patient takes their antihypertensives exactly as instructed by their physician, the higher the level of adherence (p < 0.0001, ß = 0.38), where at "0", the patient does not follow physician instructions at all, and at "10", the patient completely follows the physician's instructions. Non-adherent patients tend to assess their medication-taking behavior more critically than adherent patients. The longer the patient is known to suffer from hypertension, the more adherent he or she is (p = 0.014, ß = 0.19). Conclusions: Medication non-adherence among patients with hypertension is high in Latvia. Further investigations are needed to better understand the reasons for this and to establish interventions for improving patient outcomes.

Early Lifestyle Interventions in People with Impaired Glucose Tolerance in Northern Colombia: The DEMOJUAN Project.

BACKGROUND: The objective of the demonstration project for type 2 diabetes prevention in the Barranquilla and Juan Mina (DEMOJUAN) study was to investigate the extent to which it is possible to reach normal glucose metabolism with early lifestyle interventions in people at high risk of type 2 diabetes (prediabetes), compared with those who receive standard usual care. METHODS: DEMOJUAN was a randomized controlled trial conducted in Juan Mina and Barranquilla, Northern Colombia. Eligible participants were randomized into one of three groups (control group, initial nutritional intervention, and initial physical activity intervention). The duration of the intervention was 24 months. The main study outcome in the present analysis was reversion to normoglycemia. Relative risks and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals were calculated for reversal to normoglycemia and T2D incidence. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant association between the intervention groups and reversion to normoglycemia. The relative risk of reversion to normoglycemia was 0.88 (95% CI 0.70-1.12) for the initial nutritional intervention group participants and 0.95 (95% CI 0.75-1.20) for the initial physical activity intervention group participants. CONCLUSIONS: Our study did not find any statistically significant differences in reversion to normoglycemia or the development of type 2 diabetes between the intervention groups and the control group in this population.

Factors related to poor asthma control in Latvian asthma patients between 2013 and 2015.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether beliefs about asthma medication, cognitive and emotional factors are related to poor asthma control in a sample of Latvian asthma patients in 2015. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, self-administered survey. SUBJECTS: Three hundred and fifty two asthma patients (mean age 57.5 years) attending outpatient pulmonologist consultations in Riga, Latvia during September 2013 to December 2015. The sample size was calculated to detect a prevalence of poor asthma control of 50% with a margin of error of 5% and a power of 95%. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The validated Beliefs about Medication Questionnaire (BMQ) and the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (brief IPQ) were used. Good asthma control was assessed using the asthma control test (ACT), a validated five-item scale that reliably assesses asthma control over a recall period of four weeks. Logistic regression models were used to predict poor asthma control. RESULTS: Patients who had a good control of asthma medication (OR 0.70; 95% CI 0.61-0.79) or were confident that their asthma medication improves illness (OR 0.84; 95% CI 0.74-0.95) had a reduced risk of poor asthma control. The more symptoms (OR 1.63; 95% CI 1.44-1.84) the asthma patients perceived or the more their illness affects their life, the higher the probability of poor asthma control (OR 1.47; 95% CI 1.31-1.65). Some beliefs of necessity and concerns of asthma medication were also statistically significantly related to poor asthma control. CONCLUSIONS: Beliefs of necessity of asthma medication, cognitive and emotional illness perception factors correlate well with poor asthma control in Latvian patients.

Factors related to good asthma control using different medical adherence scales in Latvian asthma patients: an observational study.

One of the main challenges in asthma control is adherence to pharmaceutical treatment. The aim of this study was to test the association between adherence to asthma medication, control and medical beliefs, cognitive and emotional perceptions using three different validated questionnaires. Beliefs about asthma medicine, cognitive and emotional factors were determined in a cross-sectional survey of patients attending outpatient pulmonologist practices in Latvia (n = 352). The validated Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire and the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire were used. Adherence to asthma medication was assessed using the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale and two different versions of the Medication Adherence Reporting Scale. Several questions about necessity or concerns related to pharmaceutical treatment were able to predict poor adherence according to the Morisky scale. If the patient felt that without the asthma medication his life would be impossible, his risk to have poor treatment adherence was 46% reduced (odds ratio 0.54; 95% confidence interval 0.33-0.89). Furthermore, asthma patients who were convinced that their health depends on the asthma treatment were less likely to have poor treatment adherence (odds ratio 0.56: 95% confidence interval 0.32-0.97). In case the patient was concerned by the need to constantly use asthma medication or sometimes concerned by long-term effects of asthma medication the odds of poor treatment adherence were 1.96 (95% confidence interval 1.19-3.24) and 2.43 (95% confidence interval 1.45-4.08), respectively. In conclusion, medication beliefs, particularly concerns and necessity of asthma treatment were associated with poor treatment adherence when assessed with the Morisky or 5-item Medication Adherence Reporting Scale. ASTHMA TREATMENT: INVESTIGATING POOR ADHERENCE IN THE LATVIAN POPULATION: Concerns about treatment necessity and uses of asthma medication are key factors influencing poor treatment adherence in Latvia. There are multiple psychological and behavioral reasons why patients do not adhere to asthma treatment courses, including social and religious beliefs, and perceptions of chronic illness. Patient questionnaires and 'adherence scales' can help predict whether patients are likely to follow advice, but their efficacy differs for individual nations. Dins Smits at Riga Stradins University, Latvia, and co-workers analyzed responses to three questionnaires completed by 352 asthma patients to assess treatment perceptions and the best questionnaire option for the Latvian population. Concerns about the use of asthma medication and beliefs about treatment necessity were key factors in poor adherence. These were picked up by the Morisky and MARS 5-item scales, which the authors recommend for future use.