Sustained improvement in drug documentation, compliance, and disease control. A four-year analysis of an ambulatory care model.

We analyzed the effectiveness of an intervention program involving a clinical pharmacist and nurse clinician in improving drug documentation in medical records, patient compliance, and disease control. Medical records and prescription files were reviewed for patients in a rheumatology and renal clinic. Compliance was estimated by examining prescription refill patterns. Reviews were performed before intervention (control group), nine months after intervention (study group 1), and four years nine months after our intervention program began (study group 2). A six-month retrospective analysis at each review point demonstrated a significant improvement in drug documentation, compliance, and disease control--BP--for both study groups. A significant correlation was found between compliance (refill patterns) and BP control--correlation coefficient phi for the control group, 67 for study group 1, and .89 for study group 2. Cost reductions associated with our intervention program suggest that this program is cost-effective.