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New patient adherence to glaucoma therapy changes little over time
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Patterns of compliance with glaucoma therapy established in the first year after new diagnosis changed little over subsequent years, according to a study.
Using group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM) over 4 years of follow-up, the retrospective longitudinal cohort study analyzed 1,234 nationwide managed care network beneficiaries who were newly diagnosed and treated for open-angle glaucoma.
In the 1-year GBTM, 7.5% of enrollees were never adherent (group 1), 14.9% had persistently very poor adherence (group 2), 9.5% had declining adherence (group 3), 48.1% had persistently moderate adherence (group 4), and 20% had persistently good adherence (group 5). In the 4-year GBTM, 15.6% of enrollees were in group 1, 23.4% were in group 2, 9.1% were in group 3, 37% were in group 4, and 15% were in group 5.
Nearly all patients with the worst and the best adherence patterns in the first year maintained their adherence patterns throughout the 4 years of follow-up. With almost half of beneficiaries having persistently moderate adherence in the first year, approximately one-third of those patients had worsened adherence over the 4-year follow-up.
Patients who exhibited the best adherence over 4 years were more likely to be older, white and earn more than $60,000 per year, while also having an increased number of visits with eye care providers, a decreased medication copayment cost and no reliance exclusively on store pharmacy pick-up for prescription refills. – by Kristie L. Kahl
Disclosure: Newman-Casey reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the full study for a list of all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
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Newman-Casey PA, et al. Ophthalmology. 2015;doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ophtha.2015.06.039.
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