A Systematic Review of Controlled Trials: Can Patient Adherence to Antibiotics Be Improved Through Pharmaceutical Communication-Based Interventions?

Background: Patient adherence to antibiotics is vital to ensure treatment efficiency.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of pharmacist communication-based interventions on patients' adherence to antibiotics.

Methods: A systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for systematic review (PRISMA) checklist and flow diagram. Controlled trials were included.

Databases: PubMed, Cochrane Library, SciELO, and Google Scholar. Quality, risk of bias, and confidence in cumulative evidence were evaluated.

Results: Twenty-one trials were selected, with better patient adherence for the intervention than the control group. However, statistically significant differences were only found in two-thirds of these trials. The use of educational leaflets, personalized delivery of antibiotics, follow-up measures, and structured counseling were among the most impactful and significant interventions. The fact that community and/or hospital pharmacists were required to intervene in both groups (e.g., intervention vs. control/usual care) may explain that statistically significant differences were not achieved in all trials. Moderate quality issues and/or risk of bias were detected in some of the evaluated trials. The cumulative evidence was classified as high to moderate, which was considered acceptable.

Conclusion: It seems that more intense and structured pharmacist interventions can improve patient adherence to antibiotics.