FAQ

myCare Start is inspired by the New Medicines Services (NMS) developed in the United Kingdom, one of the most widely evaluated, evidence-based services for improving early medication adherence. Research has shown that NMS improves early medication adherence (Elliott et al.,2016). Inspired by these results, several other countries have adopted the service. In Switzerland, myCare Start has been developed to suit the local healthcare system and is currently being evaluated through the myCare Start-I project. The goal is to assess its effectiveness and support its integration into routine care at a national level.

The myCare Start model was co-developed to fit the Swiss healthcare context through close collaboration with physicians, pharmacists, and patients. The adaptation was informed by a contextual analysis of Swiss primary care, focusing on pharmacist-physician collaboration in managing long-term conditions. This helped ensure the service is practical, relevant, and aligned with everyday practice. Co-development included stakeholder meetings, interviews, and ongoing feedback from potential users. This iterative process allowed the investigative team to refine the service and tools based on real-world needs. The research team also exchanged experiences with international groups who had implemented similar services, identifying key challenges and success factors. The final model is designed to support interprofessional care in both pharmacies and medical practices. Its effectiveness is currently being evaluated in the myCare Start-I project.

The “I” stands for implementation science, which is the study of how evidence-based practices can be successfully introduced and used in routine healthcare. Implementation science aims to close the gap between what works in research settings and what can be applied in everyday clinical practice. It focuses on methods and strategies that support the adoption, integration, and sustainability of effective healthcare interventions. The myCare Start-I study not only evaluates the service’s clinical and economic impact but also investigates how it can be embedded into daily primary care in Switzerland.

As a physician involved in the myCare Start-I study, your role is important but designed to fit into your usual practice with minimal time investment. You will be asked to:

• Complete a short online training module (approximately 15 minutes) to familiarise yourself with the referral process.
• Identify eligible patients, briefly inform them about the service, and refer them to a participating pharmacy using the provided tools (e.g., referral cards).
• Receive a structured summary report from the pharmacist during your next medical consultation with the patient, outlining key aspects of treatment initiation and early adherence.
• Take part in short check-ins with the research team (maximum 4 times) during the recruitment period to share your experience and feedback.
• Provide feedback through brief online surveys and, optionally, participate in a short post-study interview (maximum 30 minutes) with a member of the research team.

Yes, absolutely. The myCare Start-I research team understands the time constraints of medical practice and has designed the study to fit smoothly into your routine care. To support you, we provide:

• A short 15-minute e-learning module with practical guidance and tips for referring patients.
• A communication kit with patient leaflets, posters, and a short explanatory video: all designed to inform patients clearly and efficiently. Material is available in French, German, and English. Printable PDF versions can be downloaded from the Resources page on this website.

The research team remains available to assist you throughout the study. Contact details are available on this webpage.

No, the myCare Start service does not replace your medical consultation with a patient. It is designed to complement your care by offering additional, structured support to patients during the early phase of their new long-term treatment so that they can learn about and become familiar with it. The pharmacist’s role is to reinforce information, address common questions or concerns, and help patients build confidence in managing their medication. Medical decisions and clinical follow-up remain your responsibility as the prescribing physician. The service enhances your work, rather than duplicating it, empowering patients to stay engaged, informed, and to build adherence step-by-step.

Referring patients to the myCare Start service gives them structured support during a critical phase: the start of long-term treatment. Research shows that many patients struggle with medication adherence in the first weeks after a new prescription, often stopping or modifying treatment without consultation.

By referring your patients to a trained pharmacist for two follow-up consultations, you offer them:

• Early clarification of doubts or concerns
• Tailored step-by-step knowledge building about the medication
• Help in building treatment habits
• Monitoring of potential early side effects
• Additional support between medical appointments.

Your referral plays a key role in strengthening patient care through collaboration.

You can refer patients if you prescribe a new long-term medication for one of the following conditions:

• Any cardiovascular disease
• Hyperlipidaemia
• Diabetes
• Respiratory diseases (such as asthma or COPD)
• Depression

In addition, referred patients must:

• Be 18 years or older.
• Have basic mandatory health insurance in Switzerland.
• Be able to self-manage their treatment (i.e., without professional home support).
• Not have participated in any similar education programme in the past 3 months.

No. While general practitioners play a key role, the service is not limited to them. If you are a specialist and prescribe a new long-term medication for one of the eligible conditions, you are very welcome to participate. Any licensed physician who initiates treatment for cardiovascular disease, hyperlipidaemia, diabetes, depression, or respiratory conditions such as asthma or COPD can refer patients to the myCare Start service.

Yes, as the prescribing physician, you will receive a brief, structured summary report from the pharmacist when the patient has completed  the myCare Start service. The report summarises the two consultations, including the patient’s experience with the new medication, any concerns discussed, and suggestions for follow-up if needed. It is sent via secured email to support continuity of care and collaboration between you and the pharmacist.

Yes, the myCare Start service is completely free for patients participating in the study and their health insurance.

The myCare Start consultations are conducted exclusively by trained pharmacists. Pharmacy assistants do not carry out the consultations themselves. However, pharmacy assistants may play a supportive role in identifying patients, providing information about the service, or helping with administrative tasks such as collecting email addresses for the consent process. All clinical discussions are handled by the pharmacist. This ensures the quality and consistency of the service in line with professional standards and the study protocol.

The myCare Start referral card is a tool used to refer eligible patients to the service when prescribing a new long-term medication. You can attach the card to the prescription to inform the patient about the service and indicate their eligibility. The patient then presents the card at a participating pharmacy, where the pharmacist initiates the myCare Start consultations.

The referral process, including the use of the card, was co-developed with physicians to ensure it fits naturally into routine and meets the needs expressed by patients during our contextual analysis, who indicated that they wanted their physician to be involved in the process.. All details on how to use the Physician educational module.

You can explain that their participation includes two 10-minute consultations with a pharmacist between two medical appointments. A summary of these two consultations will be sent to you by the pharmacist to ensure coordination among you, the pharmacist, and the patient regarding the new treatment. Starting a new medication isn’t always straightforward; giving it proper attention means placing patients’ concerns at the heart of the collaboration.

Once a patient has started the myCare Start service, the pharmacist will offer them only with their consent to take part in the scientific evaluation of the service. This evaluation is requested by the Swiss Confederation with a view to potential future reimbursement.

As part of this, the patient will be asked to provide some information about their use of prescribed medicines and the care received, and to complete a 5–10 minute questionnaire five times over 12 months.

It’s important to note that you are not involved in the study follow-up. The pharmacists involved have received specific training on the consent process for the service evaluation and can answer patients’ questions. All aspects related to informed consent and data collection are handled by the research team. If needed, patients can also contact the research team directly.

Participation is entirely voluntary, and patients may withdraw from the evaluation at any time without any impact on their care in the medical practice or at the pharmacy.

To learn more, we invite you to direct your patients to participating pharmacies or to the study information documents available on the myCare Start website’s Resources page.

Yes, a list of eligible medications is available to help you identify which prescriptions may qualify for the myCare Start service. The list includes ATC codes, which can assist you in confirming eligibility. You can download this list from the Resources page of the myCare Start website. If you are using SOKLE medical platform, the ATC code recognition is embedded into the system, you will be automatically notified if the medication you prescribe qualifies for referral to the myCare Start service. This helps ensure that patients are identified consistently and efficiently at the point of prescribing.

Yes. As part of the myCare Start-I study, participating physicians are invited to complete a few short online surveys. These help the research team understand how the service works in real-world settings and how it fits into routine medical practice. Each survey takes about 5 to 15 minutes to complete.The surveys include questions on your professional background, collaboration with pharmacists, how things work in your medical practice, how acceptable and feasible the service is to use.

If several physicians from the same practice are participating, some surveys will be completed individually, while others may be answered by one designated colleague - the “practice champion”.

In implementation science, the practice champion helps coordinate the project locally, acts as a contact point with the research team, and shares insights from your practice to support continuous improvement. These surveys are designed to be brief and practical, while still providing valuable input on how the service is being used in real-world conditions.

The round tables are informal discussion sessions organised between participating physicians and pharmacists involved in the myCare Start-I study. Their aim is to foster interprofessional collaboration and share experiences from both sides.

These sessions offer a space to:

• Discuss how the service is working in daily practice.
• Share any challenges or successes in referring patients and following up.
• Clarify roles, expectations, and communication preferences.
• Strengthen mutual understanding and trust between physicians and pharmacists.

Participation is voluntary and designed to be time-efficient. Round tables are coordinated by the research team and typically take place during the study period.

During the contextual analysis and focus groups conducted before launching the study, both physicians and pharmacists expressed that they rarely have opportunities to collaborate directly. Many indicated that a space for exchange, even brief, would be helpful. The round tables were introduced in response to that feedback and are intended to support integrated care and lasting partnerships beyond the project.

There is no financial compensation for participation. However, your contribution is crucial for the myCare Start-I project. We expect the myCare Start service to enable us to better meet patients’ needs at medication initiation, empower them and facilitate their care.  By taking part, you are helping to evaluate and shape a service that may improve medication adherence, strengthen interprofessional collaboration, and support safer, more coordinated care for patients in Switzerland. The University Institute of Family and Child Medicine of the University of Geneva (IuMFE) provides continuing education credits to participating physicians. Physicians who complete the educational module and take part in round table discussions can receive 1 credit per session. 

The project is supported by the Institutes of Family Medicine and Primary Care at the Universities of Geneva, Lausanne, Bern, Basel, Zurich, and Fribourg.