Effect of patient‐led cooperative follow‐up by general practitioners and community pharmacists on osteoporosis treatment persistence

Aim Osteoporosis is a major risk factor for fractures. Poor persistence with osteoporosis medication hampers outcomes. This study assessed whether encouraging the formation of patient-led follow-up cooperatives between general practitioners (GPs) and community pharmacists improved medication persistence. Methods All consecutive patients who attended an osteoporosis patient education program were invited to participate. They were given a logbook containing questionnaires they would bring to 6-monthly visits to their GP and pharmacist. The effect of this 3-year cooperative follow-up on persistence with medication and lifestyle changes was assessed. Results In total, 121 patients (average age, 67 years; 93% female) participated. Poor cooperation between GPs and pharmacists was noted. Nevertheless, medication persistence ranged from 83% to 91% over the 6 visits. However, since patient drop-out rates were high and questionnaire return rates were low, a post-study medical chart review was performed. This confirmed that persistence was high (74%-83%) at 3 years post-enrollment, even for oral bisphosphonate-treated patients (73%-76%). However, adoption of anti-osteoporosis lifestyle changes was poor throughout the study: one- to two-thirds of the patients did not alter their diet, physical activity, or surroundings to prevent falls. Conclusion One study goal, namely, to encourage GPs and pharmacists to cooperate in patient follow-up, was not achieved. However, high medication persistence was observed. This may reflect the education program, patient empowerment, personalized attention from study personnel, and being in a study. Patient-centered approaches can thus significantly increase medication persistence in osteoporosis. Ongoing education may be needed to improve patient adoption of and persistence with lifestyle changes.