The impact of a pharmacist-led educational interview on medication adherence of Saudi patients with epilepsy

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of a pharmacist-led educational interview in terms of adherence to antiepileptic drug administration among adult patients with epilepsy. Method: Sixty adult patients with epilepsy who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were recruited. A pharmacist-led educational interview was conducted with the intervention group (n=30). Patients in the control group (n=30) were interviewed and contacted 6 weeks after the initial visit without receiving any intervention. Antiepileptic drug adherence was measured during clinic visits, and 6 weeks afterwards using the 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale. This prospective interventional study was conducted between September and December 2013. Results: Only 29 control patients and 27 intervention patients completed the 6 weeks post-intervention adherence measurement. The adherence score average in the intervention group was 5.26 +/- 0.98 at baseline and improved to 6.7 +/- 0.823 (P < 0.0001) after intervention. In the control group, the adherence score average was 5.76 +/- 1.806 at baseline and 5.83 +/- 1.627 at 6 weeks (P=0.792). While there was no statistically significant difference in adherence score between intervention and control groups at baseline, the post-intervention difference was significant (P=0.024). Conclusion: Our study suggests that pharmacist-led educational interviews had a positive impact on medication adherence in patients with epilepsy.