To support healthcare professionals in improving adherence, a series of articles has been developped to provide digestible learning resources around the role behavior science plays in adherence, including practical insights relating to therapy areas. The articles provide a useful companion to a series of masterclasses where the subjects of adherence and behavioral science are explored in more depth.
Medication adherence: the elephant in the room. Medication adherence is a widespread challenge, affecting about half of all patients who find it difficult to take their medication as directed. While missing doses may seem trivial, it can have a significant impact on health, potentially leading to severe consequences, including life-threatening situations. A systematic review assessing…
Mental wellbeing is imperative for physical health and day-to-day functioning. However, a sound mental health has become challenging in today’s super connected, yet isolating world. Today, every one in eight people is struggling with a mental health issue which amounts to 14% of the global disease burden3,4. The increasing burden of mental health issues are…
The initial findings from the a:care Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR) study were recently showcased at both the American Heart Association (AHA) Congress and the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) Congress. Medication adherence is crucial for predicting cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes in patients requiring secondary prevention. In developing countries, adherence to…
Understanding atrial fibrillation and NOAC therapy Atrial Fibrillation (AF), a prevalent cardiac condition affecting approximately 2.3 million Americans, is characterized by an irregular and often rapid heart rate. This condition significantly increases the risk of stroke, heart failure, and other heart-related complications. The advent of Non-Vitamin K Oral Anticoagulants (NOACs): dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban, and edoxaban…
Medication compliance in mental health Medication adherence, defined as the extent to which a patient follows a prescribed dosing regimen, varies widely among mental health patients, with rates ranging from 20 to 70%. Factors such as substance misuse, negative attitudes towards treatment, doubts about therapy’s effectiveness, and strained healthcare relationships contribute to this inconsistency across…
Medication adherence- a global concern Medication adherence is a critical component of healthcare, particularly when addressing chronic diseases. Nearly 75 percent of American consumers report not always following their prescription medicine as directed. This nonadherence is responsible for significant worsening of diseases, increased mortality, and a surge in healthcare expenses. A 2003 World Health Organization…
Impact of cardiac imaging techniques on clinical medicine Cardiac imaging techniques are important tools used in modern medicine to visualize and evaluate the structure and function of the heart and blood vessels. These non-invasive or minimally invasive imaging techniques provide important information for the diagnosis, treatment planning and monitoring of various cardiovascular diseases4. Echocardiography enables…
Medication adherence is a multi-faceted concept extending beyond taking prescribed drugs to include numerous health-related behaviors. Recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), this concept encompasses an array of interventions critical for chronic disease management, highlighting the necessity for active patient involvement in treatment processes. Behaviors like seeking medical attention, prescription filling, lifestyle changes, and…
Introduction Heart failure defined as a chronic functional impairment of cardiac muscles is a life-threatening public health issue. It is an “emerging endemic” affecting more than 64 million people worldwide1,2. In high-income countries, the prevalence of diagnosed heart failure in the general population is estimated to range between 1-2% and could be as high as…
How to establish therapeutic alliance? The concept of therapeutic alliance can be understood through three main components: goals, bond, and tasks1: Therapeutic alliance consists of three important elements: agreement of the goals of the treatment, agreement on the tasks, and the personal bond development between patient and therapist. When patient and therapist share beliefs to…
What is the health belief model? The Health Belief Model (HBM) was one of the first models developed in the 1950s, by a group of social psychologists to understand why people engage in or do not engage in disease screening and disease prevention measures2. There are six constructs of HBM1. A. Constructs of health belief…
Importance of medication adherence in managing CVD Medication adherence plays a critical role in effectively managing CVD. CVD refers to a group of conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels, including coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke, and hypertension. Medication adherence is important for several reasons: However, medication adherence can be difficult for a…
An individual’s behavior can negatively impact the health outcomes. Adherence to therapies is a major factor that negatively impacts disease outcomes. In addition individual choices like unhealthy diet, smoking as well as limited physical activity also contribute to poor health outcomes leading to significant disease and economic burden for the patients as well as the…
Patient engagement entails empowering patients and enabling their active participation in healthcare decision-making.4 Engaged patients show better treatment adherence, improved patient outcomes, and reduced healthcare costs.2 To learn more about patient engagement, please read – Enhancing patient engagement in healthcare – a paradigm shift for improved outcomes. Although patient engagement is the need of the…
What is digital health? Digital health is defined as the knowledge and practice of adopting any aspects of digital techniques that help in improving health, from inception to operation1. What is eHealth? The utilization of information and communications technologies that are both cost-effective and safe has become essential in promoting health and supporting health-related fields.…
What is digital therapeutic? Digital therapeutics is a subset of digital health, defined as therapeutic intervention delivered directly to the patient by a high-quality software program to prevent, monitor, treat, and manage any medical disease or disorder. This evidence-based intervention by DTx can increase healthcare accessibility and effectiveness 3. DTx and software as a medical…
A profoundly impactful statement by WHO captures the importance of medication non-adherence succinctly – “Increasing the effectiveness of adherence interventions may have a far greater impact on the health of the population than any improvement in specific medical treatments”2. This effective intervention for improving patient health does not depend on any costly cutting-edge technology but…
Good health is defined as a state of physical, mental, and social well-being. Lack of debilitating physical symptoms alone doesn’t necessarily mean sound health. Although the focus on mental health is growing, the global efforts to remedy them have remained insufficient1. Mental health conditions include various mental and neurological disorders, substance-abuse behavior, suicidal tendencies as…
In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare scenario, patient engagement is critical. Active patient engagement improves treatment quality, especially in case of chronic diseases. Recognising the impact, it has on health behaviours and outcomes, healthcare fraternity is looking for newer ways to engage patients.1 What is patient engagement? Patient engagement refers to the active participation and…
Heuristics are commonly known as “mental shortcuts” or “rules of thumb” that simplify our decision-making process. First formulated in the 1970s by Tversky & Kahneman1, it helps us to make choices in unfamiliar and ambiguous circumstances within a short time with minimal cognitive involvement. It is a way of predicting the plausibility of an event…