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Optimizing pharmacists' effectiveness as medication therapy managers through a segmentation approach.

Marcia M Worley
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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether older persons could be segmented into meaningful subgroups that shared similar patterns in terms of self-assessments of medication-related knowledge, beliefs, and perceived abilities. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of data previously collected from a cross-sectional, descriptive study. SETTING: United States. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 500 community-dwelling older persons, 65 years and older, using at least one prescription medication. INTERVENTION: Mail survey. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Older persons' self-assessments of medication-related knowledge, beliefs, and perceived abilities, as well as perceptions of pharmacist-patient relationships. RESULTS: The data set contained usable responses from 330 respondents out of 496 surveys presumably delivered (66.5%). Cluster analysis revealed three groups of older persons who showed differences in terms of medication-related beliefs and perceived abilities. Older persons in group 1 reported worse health, used the most prescription medications, sought the most advice from pharmacists, and had the lowest perceived abilities. Older persons in group 2 reported good health, took the fewest medications, sought pharmacists' advice least frequently, and had the lowest beliefs and high perceived abilities. Older persons in group 3 reported the best health, had the highest beliefs, high perceived abilities, and the highest perceptions of pharmacist participative behavior, patient-centeredness, relationship quality, and commitment. CONCLUSION: Pharmacists can use a segmentation approach to target those older persons who are most in need of medication therapy management.

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AgedCross-Sectional StudiesDrug TherapyHealth Care SurveysHumansPatient Care PlanningPatient Education as TopicPharmacistsProfessional-Patient RelationsJournal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

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Marcia M Worley. Optimizing pharmacists' effectiveness as medication therapy managers through a segmentation approach.. https://doi.org/10.1331/1544345055001382

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