The Use of Coaching Sessions and a Mobile Reminder Application toEnhance Medication Adherence in Adults at an Outpatient Psychiatric Clinic

Abstract

The primary aim of this Clinical Scholarly Project was to assess the effectiveness of coaching sessions and a mobile reminder application to enhance medication adherence in adults at an outpatient psychiatric clinic. Several studies have suggested that patients with chronic health conditions adhere to 50-60% of the prescribed medication regimen. However, up to 80% of patients with psychiatric disorders fail to comply with their medication regimens. This translates into annual costs of $100-$300 billion per year for individual patients and healthcare systems, which significantly burdens the current healthcare system. A pre-and postquasi-experimental time series design was implemented for four months. The group of 15 participants was monitored for the first two months, using traditional care (e.g., presenting at the outpatient psychiatric clinic for evaluation, diagnosing, and medications management). After two months, the same group received the interventions: coaching sessions and a mobile reminder application. To determine whether the aims of the project were met, an independent paired t-test was performed to compare pre-and post-intervention data. Conclusion: A paired-samples t-test confirmed that the medication adherence rates differed between the two post-intervention months (Times 3 and 4), t (9) = 6.00, p< .01.