Education and Support Improve Medication Adherence in Osteoporosis Patients

For patients with severe osteoporosis, an educational and motivational support program may improve two-year teriparatide persistence. This study included 1,573 Dutch patients receiving teriparatide for severe osteoporosis between January 2013 and January 2018. Beginning in January 2013, patients received a basic support program, which included an in-home educational visit to initiate treatment and follow-up phone calls at weeks one, 2.5, and eight. In May 2015, patients received the same basic support program as well as an assessment of medication adherence via telephone, an additional one-year phone call, and motivational letters at nine and 14 months. The full-support program, compared to the basic support program, significantly increased two-year medication persistence (78% vs. 72%). There were no significant between-group differences in treatment termination, except the full-support program group had a significantly lower likelihood of termination due to side effects compared to the basic support group (8% vs. 15%).

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