2018 Incentive Grant Recipients

Sara Schenkelberg

Project Proposal: Evaluation of Community Pharmacists' Impact on Patient Outcomes in Hepatitis C Infected Individuals

“Hepatitis C is a complex disease state that requires a multidisciplinary approach to ensure patients receive the best care possible.”

Dr. Schenkelberg is a PGY1 community pharmacy resident at Walgreens Pharmacy in Kansas City, MO. The pharmacists at her site are clinically trained and have a collaboration with a gastroenterology clinic. After the patient is diagnosed and provided a treatment plan by the clinic, the patient presents to the pharmacy for a comprehensive medication review (CMR). The primary objective of Dr. Schenkelberg’s study is to use pharmacist consultations to resolve medication-related problems (MRPs) in patients taking hepatitis C viral medications.  

What can pharmacists do to help remove patient barriers and increase adherence?

"Our patient population primarily encompasses lower educational and socioeconomic statuses. Increasing educational awareness and incentives for adherence would help alleviate our biggest challenge. Our pharmacists can remove patient barriers and increase adherence by purchasing bus passes for doctor appointments, supplying a pillbox, offering a gift card once therapy is complete, and providing detailed educational pamphlets. A $1,000 grant would allow us to provide these resources to our patients."

Dr. Schenkelberg emphasizes that “with new direct acting antivirals on the market, community pharmacists can recommend appropriate therapy, identify drug interactions, and improve patients’ compliance.”

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