Disease knowledge and medication adherence among rheumatoid arthritis patients receiving pharmacist-led education: prospective single-arm interventional study
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY, vol.17, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Publication Type: Article / Article
- Volume: 17
- Publication Date: 2026
- Doi Number: 10.3389/fphar.2026.1813901
- Journal Name: FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
- Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, BIOSIS, EMBASE, Directory of Open Access Journals, Natural Science Collection (ProQuest), Biological Science Database (ProQuest)
- Open Archive Collection: AVESIS Open Access Collection
- Anadolu University Affiliated: Yes
Abstract
Background: Pharmacists, with their pivotal roles and responsibilities in health sector, play a vital role in improving patients' knowledge and medication adherence. This study aimed to assess the effect of pharmacist-led educational interventions on disease knowledge and medication adherence in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: The prospective single-arm interventional study was conducted at a community pharmacy between 1 May 2025 and 31 August 2025. The data on knowledge about RA (disease knowledge, pharmacological treatments, non-pharmacological treatments, comorbidity, self-care and adaptive skills) and medication adherence were collected from RA patients at baseline and follow-up at 12 weeks. Factors related to disease knowledge and medication adherence were evaluated. The Rheumatoid Arthritis Knowledge Level Survey (RAKE) and the Compliance Questionnaire for Rheumatology (CQR) were administered to measure knowledge about RA and medication adherence, respectively. Results: A total of 95 patients were included in the study. After the pharmacist-led educational interventions, more patients responded correctly to domain disease knowledge (<0.001), pharmacological treatments (<0.001), non-pharmacological treatments (<0.001), comorbidity (<0.001), and self-care (<0.001). A statistically significant increase was observed in the total RAKE score (46.16 +/- 16.16 vs. 72.96 +/- 14.40; p < 0.001). When the total CQR scores before and after the education were compared, a significant increase in medication adherence was observed after the education (60.44 +/- 10.35 vs. 66.11 +/- 9.42; p < 0.001 respectively). The study identified a significant correlation between disease knowledge level and female gender (before the education: r = 0.344, p = 0.0011; after the education: r = 0.231, p = 0.02). Additionally, it has been observed that medication adherence was higher in individuals with a prolonged duration of disease (after the education: r = 0.235, p = 0.005) and in older adults (before the education: r = 0.384, p < 0.001; after the education: r = 0.310, p = 0.002). Conclusion: Rheumatoid arthritis patients' disease knowledge and medication adherence improved after the clinical pharmacist's intervention. The study recommends that it is necessary to conduct larger and multi-centered studies with longer follow-up durations so that sustainability and long-term effects of pharmacist-led interventions can be examined in detail. The female participants were found to possess a high level of disease knowledge in the study. Older individuals and people with long-term diseases had higher drug adherence. Further studies should be conducted with a large number of patients with rheumatoid arthritis to enhance generalizability to a wider population.