How patient’s adherence could be improved - a short review

Abstract

Introduction The issue of patients’ adherence to doctor’s instructions has been widely discussed in medical and popular newspapers in the recent years. Inadequate patient’s adherence is a great problem in medicine, which negatively affects treatment endpoints. Poor adherence is most often seen in treatment of chronic diseases, where irregular use of prescribed medication makes good disease control impossible. It is estimated that 50% of patients suffering from chronic diseases do not adhere to doctor’s instructions. Objective The aim of the review is to identify factors affecting adherence and to look for possible methods of its’ improvement. Methods Twenty seven articles about adherence and compliance published between 2005 and 2017 were reviewed. Results and discussion The term ‘adherence’ is defined as the degree, to which patient’s behavior is in agreement with medical advice provided by a health care professional in respect to the use of medication, dieting and lifestyle changes. In hospital wards adherence is as high as 100%, but at home after 6 months of therapy less than 50% of patients continue taking prescribed medication. Systemic review of factors affecting inadequate adherence and ones that might improve the level of patients’ adherence was done. Conclusions Inadequate adherence may cause serious health problems and is a heavy burden for the healthcare system. It increases morbidity, disability and mortality rates. It was found that several factors affect patient’s adherence. It is impossible to point out one the most important risk factor. Only a good cooperation between the physician and the patient may lead to good adherence and effective treatment.

Keywords

• compliance, medication, advice