Protocol - Antipsychotic Medication Adherence

Description:

The Brief Adherence Rating Scale (BARS) is a 4-item, clinician-administered rating scale that captures a patient’s intake of the antipsychotic medications.

Protocol:

Brief Adherence Rating Scale (BARS)

Patient identification: ___________

Date: ___________

The following information is obtained by the clinician:

1. How many pills of _________________ (name of antipsychotic) did the doctor tell you to take each day?

2. Over the month since last visit with me, on how many days did you NOT TAKE your _________________ (name of antipsychotic)?

Few, if any (<7) _____

7-13 _____

14-20 _____

Most (<20) _____

3. Over the month since your last visit with me, how many days did you TAKE LESS THAN the prescribed number of pills of your _________________ (name of antipsychotic)?

Always/almost always = 1 _____ (76%-100% of the time)

Usually = 2 _____(51%-75% of the time)

Sometimes = 3 _____(26%-50% of the time)

Never/almost never = 4 _____(0%-25% of the time)

Note:

1 = poor adherence
4 = good adherence

Please place a single vertical line on the dotted line below that you believe best describes, out of the prescribed antipsychotic medication (_________________________) doses, the proportion of doses taken by the patient in the past month.

Response struck on above line (%) = _________________________

Rater’s initials: _________________________

Protocol Name from Source:

Brief Adherence Rating Scale (BARS)

Availability:

Publicly available

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Personnel and Training Required

The interviewer should be trained in the administration of the Brief Adherence Rating Scale (BARS). The interviewer must be trained and found to be competent (i.e., tested by an expert). The interviewer should be trained to prompt respondents further if a "don’t know" response is provided.

Equipment Needs

None

Requirements

Requirement Category	Required
Major equipment	No
Specialized training	No
Specialized requirements for biospecimen collection	No
Average time of greater than 15 minutes in an unaffected individual	No

Mode of Administration

Clinician-administered interview

Life Stage:

Adult

Participants:

Adults, ages 18 years and older

Specific Instructions:

None

Selection Rationale

The Brief Adherence Rating Scale (BARS) is a brief, reliable, and valid clinician- administered adherence tool that determines the proportions of antipsychotic medication doses taken in the past month.

Language

English

Standards

Standard	Name	ID	Source
Common Data Elements (CDE)	Mental Health Antipsychotic Medication Adherence rating scale Assessment Scale	5628278	CDE Browser

Process and Review

The Expert Review Panel has not reviewed this measure yet.

Source

Byerly, M. J., Nakonezny, P. A., & Rush, A. J. (2008). The Brief Adherence Rating Scale (BARS) validated against electronic monitoring in assessing the antipsychotic medication adherence of outpatients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. Schizophrenia Research, 100, 60-69.

General References

Acosta, F. J., Hernández, J. L., Pereira, J., Herrera, J., & Rodríguez, C. J. (2012). Medication adherence in schizophrenia. World Journal of Psychiatry, 2(5), 74-82.

Stroup, T. S., & Dixon, L. B. (2013). The enduring challenge of antipsychotic non- adherence. World Psychiatry, 12(3), 236-237.

Protocol ID:

661801

Variables:

Export Variables

Variable Name	Variable ID	Variable Description	Version	dbGaP Mapping

Research Domain Information

Measure Name:

Antipsychotic Medication Adherence

Release Date:

January 17, 2017

Definition

A questionnaire to assess the patient’s intake of the antipsychotic medication.

Purpose

This measure assesses antipsychotic medication taking behaviors and provides estimates of actual levels of adherence. Poor adherence is a common problem in psychosis and schizophrenia and is associated with worse outcomes.

Keywords

Early psychosis, psychosis, Brief Adherence Rating Scale, BARS, antipsychotic medication