Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Study to Improve Clopidogrel Adherence

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a common invasive cardiovascular procedure performed in the VA with over 13,000 procedures in FY10. Clopidogrel is a critical adjuvant therapy following PCI with stent placement and is generally recommended for up to 1 year following the procedure. Despite the evidence supporting clopidogrel use, studies both outside and within the VA suggest that poor adherence to clopidogrel is common. However, prior interventions targeting non-adherence have not specifically focused on clopidogrel adherence among PCI patients.

There are many potential reasons for early clopidogrel discontinuation that involve patient and healthcare system factors. Patients reported the following reasons for discontinuing clopidogrel within 1 month after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation: 1) misunderstanding the intended treatment duration; 2) conflicting recommendations about intended duration; 3) cost of the medication; and 4) patients' own decision to stop. In contrast, patients who continued to take clopidogrel reported the following as helpful: 1) communication such as letters from their physician; and 2) receiving specific instructions on clopidogrel use. These findings suggest that there are specific interventions that can be implemented to improve clopidogrel adherence.

Multi-modal interventions that incorporate frequent follow-up, especially with pharmacists and use interactive voice response (IVR) technology have improved medication adherence. IVR technology is a computer-based telephone system which initiates calls, receives calls, provides information, and collects data from users. IVR is currently a mainstay in the VA where patients frequently interact with these automated systems to get clinic appointments and/or refill prescriptions. IVR as part of multi-modal interventions have been well received by patients, increased adherence to medications (e.g., statins), and improved clinical outcomes (e.g., blood pressure, diabetes symptoms, health status). In addition, the investigators have successfully used IVR as part of a multi-modal, multi-site intervention including pharmacists to improve blood pressure levels among hypertensive patients. Accordingly, the investigators have designed our intervention to improve clopidogrel adherence that builds on our prior work and other successful adherence interventions from the literature.

The investigators propose a hybrid effectiveness-implementation study of a multi-faceted intervention to improve clopidogrel adherence at VA PCI centers. The investigators will use the VA's Cardiovascular Assessment Reporting and Tracking (CART-CL), a uniform cath lab procedure reporting tool at all VA cath labs. The intervention consists of 4 components: a) an alert from CART-CL will be sent to an inpatient pharmacist prior to discharge that a patient has received a stent; b) a pharmacist will bring clopidogrel to the patient's bedside prior to hospital discharge as well as educate the patient on the importance of and adherence to clopidogrel following PCI; c) interactive voice response (IVR) calls will be made to patients prior to the time of clopidogrel refill to remind patients and to facilitate refills during follow-up; and d) a Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) member will contact patients who delay filling clopidogrel.