Background: Multiple factors have been reported to affect adherence to medication, including beliefs about medicines, while specifically tailored pharmaceutical care services for patients may improve adherence. The aim was to assess the impact of counselling by an oncology pharmacist on patients' medication adherence and beliefs.
Methods: An interventional prospective study was performed in the oncology department at a tertiary hospital in Northern Cyprus from November 2017 to April 2018. The Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire was used to evaluate the balance between beliefs about necessity and concerns and medication beliefs before and after an educational intervention. The Morisky Green Levine Test 2018 was used to evaluate adherence.
Results: In total, 81 patients (65.4% females; mean age: 59.1 ± 11.34 years; 34.6% hypertensive; 19.8% with diabetes) were analysed before and after receiving counselling from an oncology pharmacist. Pharmacist education significantly enhanced the mean patient necessity-concern balance scores by two-fold (MT0(baseline) = -3.1 ± 8.6; MT1(posteducation) =3.0 ± 7.3; p < 0.0001), with patients who received counselling for the first time experiencing the greatest benefit. Multivariate analysis showed that patients who had a negative balance between their beliefs about the necessity of the medication and their concerns were less likely to adhere to the medication (0.138 (0.025-0.772)).
Conclusion: Counselling by an oncology pharmacist was effective in decreasing patient concerns and increasing their understanding of the necessity of the medication, thus enhancing their adherence and consequently improving the care they received.
Keywords: Clinical pharmacy; beliefs about medicines; oncology; patient adherence.