Assessing the impact of medication management review service for females diagnosed with depression and anxiety: A randomized control trial.

Rationale, aims, and objectives Depression and anxiety are common mental illnesses suffered by females worldwide. Females face treatment-related problems (TRPs), including lack of adherence to their treatment. The Medication Management Review service (MMR) can be effective in identifying and resolving the TRPs. This study sought to assess the impact of the MMR service on identifying and resolving TRPs, improving adherence, depression, and anxiety scores in females diagnosed with depression and anxiety in Jordan. Design and settings Participants were recruited into this single-blind parallel randomized controlled trial and randomized into active and control groups. A clinical pharmacist identified TRPs for all participants. Adherence, depression, and anxiety scores were assessed. Active group patients received the MMR service: pharmacist-delivered counseling and a letter with recommended changes in the patient's treatment plan were sent to the patient's psychiatrist to be applied. Control group participants did not receive the intervention. Follow-up assessments were completed for all patients at 3 months from baseline. Main outcome measures were TRPs, adherence, depression, and anxiety scores. RESULTS: Study participants (n = 73; mean age = 41.8 [SD = 16.27]) had 177 TRPs identified, with 2.42(SD = 1.06) TRPs per patient. At baseline, only 54.8% of the participants reported to be adherent to their treatment, and no significant differences were found between the groups. At follow-up, a significant decline in the number of TRPs was found for the active versus control group (active: 0.58[SD = 0.64], control: 1.78[SD = 1.13], P < .001). A significantly higher proportion of adherent patients was identified in the active (88.9%) versus control group (51.4%), P < .001. Significant improvements in the depression (P < .001) and anxiety (P = .003) scores were detected for the active versus control group. CONCLUSION: The MMR service led to a significant decrease in the number of TRPs, improved adherence, depression, and anxiety scores for females diagnosed with depression and anxiety.