Impact of Pharmacist Intervention on Medication Adherence and Patient-Reported Outcomes among Depressed Patients in a Private Psychiatric Hospital of Nepal: a randomised controlled trial

Aim: We aimed to evaluate the impact of pharmaceutical service intervention on medication adherence and patient-reported outcomes among patients diagnosed with depression in a private psychiatric hospital in Nepal. Methods: A single-center, open trial with a parallel design was conducted among 18 to 65 years aged patients, diagnosed with depression and under antidepressant medication(s) for ≥2 months. Patients were randomised into either the intervention or control group. The control group (n = 98) received the usual care, while the intervention group (n = 98) received a pharmaceutical service intervention. The two groups were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test, independent t-test, or chi-square test at 2 and 4 months for changes in medication adherence and patient-reported [severity of depression and health-related quality of life (HRQoL)] outcomes. Results: One hundred ninety adult patients were enrolled in the study. At baseline, there were no significant differences in any of the outcome measures between the intervention and control groups. At 2 and 4 months, the intervention group had a significant improvement only in medication adherence (P < .001) compared with the control group [MGL score: 1 (2) vs 2 (2) and 1 (1) vs 2 (1), P < .001, respectively]. Conclusion: Our study suggests that a brief pharmaceutical service intervention in the hospital setting can have a significant impact on patients' adherence to antidepressants but does not improve their severity of depression and HRQoL.