Support service for people starting a new medicine in Switzerland

Who can take part

• Must have mandatory basic health insurance in Switzerland
• Must have been newly prescribed one or more new long-term medications in accordance with the following chronic conditions: cadisovascular diseases (incl. hyertension and thromboprophylaxis), diabetes, hyperlipidemia, depression, respiratory illness (asthma and COPD)
• Must be able to self-manage treatment (i.e. they live at home without any support to manage their medication, exception: patient uses a pill dispenser and fills it in by him-/herself)
• Must be able to understand language spoken by pharmacy staff and can read and understand study documents (French, German, English)
• Must understand and are willing to consent to the myCare Start-I study (including the agreement on self-reported questionnaires and collection of health care data via their health insurance company)
• in the intervention arm, patients must receive the myCare Start service; For this study, a new medication is a medication that has not been previously dispensed to the patient. This includes one or more new medications for a new diagnosis and or new medications for pre-existing diagnosis of a long-term condition. Included in this working definition:
• The new medication is indicated for one of the five long-term diseases listed above
• Patient has never had this active ingredient dispensed before (patient still considered eligible if they have received a small initial sample pack from their physician) or restarts an active ingredient after a period of interruption of at least 12 months (time period to be reported by the patient). Please note that for patients, that have already started a sample pack of medication the myCare Start Consultation One can start upon first dispensation at the pharmacy, there is no need to wait 7-14 days
• The new active ingredient can be part of a combo preparation (e.g. a diuretic added to an ACE inhibitor into the same preparation)
• Patient has had no change in active ingredient but has an important change in treatment administration, such as:; Change of galenic form (e.g. two different types of inhalators for asthma/COPD); Intensification of dosage regiment (e.g. twice a day instead of once a day)
• The following change is not considered as medication initiation:; New dosage of already known active ingredient (e.g. dose escalation of antidepressants); Simplification of administration mode (e.g. metformin 1000 mg 1-0-0 instead of 500 mg 1-0-1; change in antihypertensive drug regiment in elderly patients having vertigo in the morning: 0-0-X instead of X-0-0)
• Any physician treating a patient for one of the five long-term illnesses listed above is eligible to refer the patient to a pharmacy providing myCare start; Pharmacies:
• Have to be enrolled into the myCare Start service and comply to the requirements of the pharmacy quality system management of having access to a private consultation room or area
• Must agree to participate in the research study, including the recruitment of control patients and the delivery of the myCare Start service to intervention patients

Who cannot take part

• Patients participating or having participated in an education program about their disease or treatment in the last 3 months, led by healthcare providers such as physicians, nurses, pharmacists or other (e.g. education provided by nurses for type I diabetes patients); Physicians:

Other criteria

• Patients