A behavioral medicine perspective on adherence to long-term medical regimens

Adherence is a major problem in pharmacological intervention, with approximately half of all patients with chronic diseases not adhering to their medical regimens. Studies have demonstrated that feedback of drug levels and reinforcement for medication intake are effective behavioral measures, whereas self-monitoring of medication or symptoms is so far only a promising method. Methodological concerns of compliance research are addressed, including setting goals for compliant behavior, measurement of compliance, and the interpretation of adherence as a correlated and independent factor in outcome. Areas for future research include long-term follow-up, better integration of behavioral theory to treatment development, and better understanding of the compliance and health outcome relationship. (63 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).