Effect of self-administration of medication programme on cardiovascular inpatients' medication adherence and nurses' satisfaction: A randomized clinical trial.

The trial was single-centre and only followed patients for two weeks after discharge, so long-term adherence and clinical outcomes are unknown. Patients and the researcher were not blinded, and adherence was self-reported. The intervention combined several components, including education, reminder cards, medication boxes, labels, nurse coordination, checklists and pill counts, so the effect of self-administration alone cannot be separated. The sample was small (60 patients), and the groups differed significantly in gender, with more women in the intervention group. Nurse satisfaction was measured with a researcher-made scale in 20 staff nurses. Adherence was measured by self-report telephone MMAS and pill count; the authors say no sensitive or specific methods such as urine tests or disguised observation were available.

The authors declared no conflict of interest. Professor Donald E. Morisky, the MMAS developer and owner, receives a licence fee for MMAS use, but the paper states he was not involved in data analysis.

Do not conclude that self-administration alone improves adherence. The intervention also included education, reminder cards, labelled boxes, nurse coordination, checklists and pill counts, and the trial was unblinded with only two weeks of follow-up.