Chronic kidney disease and adherence improvement program by clinical pharmacist-provided medication therapy management; a quasi-experimental assessment of patients’ self-care perception and practice

One of the critical roles of pharmacists in the field of community and hospitals is to provide medication therapy management (MTM) services and reconciliation.

This study aimed to assess the perceptions, adherence, and performance of the patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) to the clinical pharmacist-provided MTM before and after receiving this service.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted from June 2023 to January 2024. A validated questionnaire assessed patients’ knowledge, attitude, and performance, and the Morisky medication adherence scale evaluated the medical adherence of the patients before and after the clinical pharmacist-provided MTM. Inclusion criteria were patients with CKD according to NKF KDOQI guidelines and GFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m². Before and after the MTM service, CKD patients’ knowledge, attitude, performance, and adherence to their pharmacotherapy were assessed.

A total of 100 patients enrolled in the study and completed the questionnaire. Before and after the MTM service, total knowledge was 3.38 ± 1.82 and 7.59 ± 1.11, respectively. Before and after the MTM service, the attitude score was 54.53 ± 5.05 and 59.24 ± 4.68, respectively. Before and after the MTM service, the mean performance score was 30.15 ± 4.27 and 34.54 ± 2.56, respectively. Adherence score to medications before and after the MTM service was 4.86 ± 1.99 and 6.22 ± 1.39, respectively. In all fields, outcomes significantly improved (P < 0.05).

The current study showed the critical role of clinical pharmacists in training patients about medications and improving adherence to their pharmacotherapy.