ARTICLES

The human mind has evolved to make decisions and draw the most plausible conclusions regardless of the quality of available information. The decision-making process is influenced by heuristics, or cognitive shortcuts, which can have a significant effect on adherence when relevant information is limited. Understanding heuristics can significantly help us understand patients’ adherence and assist…

The Health Belief Model (HBM) is a model to help understand what patients believe about their health The HBM can be used to identify detrimental patient behaviors caused by a poor understanding of a condition or treatment The HBM can be used to structure interactions with patients to enhance their understanding of treatment and lifestyle…

How do people make difficult decisions? How do people decide which career to undertake, what car to buy, or whether to take medication? Important decisions are typically the result of some degree of thought and planning, a process that Daniel Kahneman labelled “System 2” thinking in his groundbreaking book, Thinking Fast and Slow.1 What is…

The Transtheoretical Model (TTM) proposes a stepped approach to effectively change health behaviors The TTM can help providers evaluate beliefs and behaviors affecting patients’ treatment and indicate the support needed to motivate positive change The TTM is one of the most widely used health behavior models and has been shown to have a positive impact…

Interventions designed to improve vertigo treatment adherence are often designed without any understanding of what drives patient behavior; as a result, they are only moderately effective The Behavior Change Wheel (BCW) framework is a useful model for understanding non-adherence to vertigo treatments The BCW highlights the importance of addressing patients’ specific concerns regarding their treatment…

The Patient Activation Measure (PAM) and Medication Adherence Questionnaire (MAQ) are tools providers can use to measure patients’ health behavior The PAM can be used to evaluate a patient’s ability to manage their health and conditions; the Medication Adherence Questionnaire can be used to evaluate the patient’s level of adherence to their prescribed therapies These…

“Nudging” increases the likelihood of a given behavior by invoking a patient’s System 1 decision making process. Nudging techniques are increasingly used by governments to shape healthcare and other public policies. Nudging techniques can also be used to enhance treatment adherence in clinical practice. As described in previous articles, adherence to treatment for patients suffering…

Patient Support Programs (PSPs) are behavioral interventions designed to help patients adhere to their medication and treatment plans. To reach the broadest patient population, PSPs increasingly incorporate digital components such as text messaging and web portals. “Personalization” applies behavioral science techniques to digital interventions to increase the effectiveness of interventions. Patient Support Programs are behavioral…

Some Patient Support Programs (PSPs) considerably increase adherence rates while others only have limited impact. Behavioral science theories and advances in digital technologies can enhance PSP program engagement and improve their effectiveness. Non-adherence is a major issue that can be addressed by PSPs Non-adherence is a major barrier limiting the benefits of clinically effective treatments. …