Developing an intervention to improve adherence to acamprosate
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Developing a medication management and a contingency management intervention protocol to enhance adherence to acamprosate for relapse prevention in alcohol dependence.
IRAS ID
170962
Contact name
Kim Donoghue
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 0 days
Research summary
The effectiveness of the medication acamprosate for the reduction of alcohol use and relapse in those who are dependent is now well documented. Having identified that the use of acamprosate improves patient outcomes and is cost-effective its use is supported for routine treatment for people with moderate or severe alcohol dependence in combination with talking therapies. Despite acamprosate’s therapeutic value, adherence to this medication is often low and therefore the maximum benefit that could be gained from taking it is not reached in all service users.
Medication management (MM) is an intervention to help improve medication and treatment adherence by providing education, support and advice to service users about their drinking behaviours and medication. This has been used in several clinical trials but is not consistently delivered as part of routine care in the UK. Contingency management (CM), which involves providing small financial or other incentive to change behaviour and/or engage with treatment, including medication adherence, has been found to be effective in substance misusers but there is currently limited evidence available for alcohol dependence.
Four focus groups with service users will be conducted to improve our understanding of factors that may contribute to adherence to acamprosate, and service users’ views on MM and CM and their delivery in the pharmacy. Four focus groups with pharmacists and pharmacy support staff will also be conducted to explore their attitudes towards, and knowledge of, alcohol dependence, and their views on factors that may influence adherence to acamprosate and the barriers and facilitators to delivering MM and CM in the pharmacy. The information collected from these focus groups will be used to tailor an existing manual for MM and to develop new training materials for pharmacists. An existing optimal CM protocol will also be adapted to help improve attendance to MM sessions.
REC name
West of Scotland REC 1
REC reference
15/WS/0048
Date of REC Opinion
16 Mar 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion