The COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health measures shifted the way people access health care. In this podcast, Dr. Christine Leong, Associate Professor at the University of Manitoba College of Pharmacy, discusses the research she and her colleagues conducted to study the effects of the pandemic on psychotropic medication adherence. The data were drawn from a claims repository that contains information on health service and medication use for almost all Manitoba residents.

The study showed improved adherence to most psychotropic medications in the 9 months after public health restrictions were enacted. Patients who were already adherent to their psychotropic medications were less likely to discontinue them during the pandemic. Findings in this study highlight that, although there were concerns about public health measures restricting access to in-person care, access to medications in Manitoba did not seem to be restricted.

The article "Adherence to Psychotropic Medication Before and During COVID-19: A Population-Wide Retrospective Observational Study" is published in the July-August 2023 issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology.