Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Medication adherence is defined as the degree to which a patients' behavior corresponds with the healthcare provider's recommendations. Adherence in patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is notoriously low and results in serious consequences, including poor disease control, increases in hospitalizations and healthcare-related costs. To intervene effectively, physicians need to assess adherence accurately, which can be challenging. Prescription refill data derived from pharmacy purchases, however, may provide an objective measure of medication use, although this information is not consistently available in the clinical setting. In collaboration with asthma/COPD patients and family physicians, we developed e-MEDRESP, an electronic tool based on prescription refills, through qualitative research methods and an integrated informatics approach. This novel tool will allow family physicians to monitor patient medication adherence to respiratory medications in a timely manner. Several focus groups and interviews were conducted with patients and physicians to develop an e-MEDRESP prototype that is tailored to their needs. Specifically, e-MEDRESP contains various graphical representations of the adherence to respiratory controller medications and dispensing of rescue medications. These graphics directly reflect user recommendations and were generated by applying complex algorithms to prescription refill data. Next, we plan to integrate e-MEDRESP in electronic medical records (EMRs) of several clinics in the Canadian province of Quebec. A feasibility study will be conducted to evaluate physicians' use of e-MEDRESP, physician and patient satisfaction with the tool, and its capacity to enhance patient medication adherence and physician prescribing practices. Ultimately, the integration of easily interpretable prescription refill data in EMR may serve as a foundation for monitoring adherence and supporting better management of chronic conditions.