Results from a Mailed Promotion of Medication Reviews Among Department of Defense Beneficiaries Receiving 10 or More Chronic Medications

Abstract

Response was poor to a mailing that promoted a beneficiary- initiated medication review. The absence of significant changes following the medication review suggests several possibilities: a mailed intervention is ineffective in promoting medication review; medication regimens for study subjects are already optimized to the extent obtainable through a routine medication review; or the study sample size was too small to detect relevant changes. Most drug regimen changes were dosage adjustments for current medications or substitutions within the same therapeutic class. The extent to which comprehensive assessment of a patient's medication regimen, including nonprescription and herbal agents, was performed is unclear. More intensive interventions may be required to ensure that medication regimens are being actively managed among those who use a large number of prescription medications.