Implementation of patient-centered prescription labeling in a safety-net ambulatory care network.

PURPOSE

An initiative to implement patient-centered medication labeling at 4 pharmacies within a publicly funded safety-net healthcare system is described.

SUMMARY

Medication nonadherence negatively affects patient outcomes and safety. Nonadherence has been attributed to poor understanding of instructions on medication labels. Research has demonstrated that patient-centered labeling (PCL) can improve adherence and produce safer medication-taking practices. As part of a mixed-methods study by a safety-net health system, audits of nearly 9,000 prescription labels generated at 4 pharmacy sites, as well as interviews with 6 stakeholder informants, were conducted to determine PCL adoption rates and factors contributing to success. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze audit data; constructs of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research were used to analyze interview data. Among the 4 sites, 3 pharmacies successfully converted more than 85% of audited prescriptions to a PCL format; 1 pharmacy converted less than 25% of prescriptions. Barriers to implementation included pharmacists' reluctance to modify prescriber instructions and inadequate real-time data on conversion rates. Interviewees perceived that leadership and policy directives promoted PCL conversion efforts. Successful pharmacies used adaptable software, had closer communication networks with prescribers, and/or used automation to facilitate PCL conversion.

CONCLUSION

Three pharmacies successfully converted more than 85% of labels for audited prescriptions to a PCL format; 1 pharmacy converted less than 25% of prescriptions. Barriers to implementation included pharmacists' reluctance to modify prescriber instructions, inadequate real-time data on conversation rates, and lack of customizable software to automate changes.