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ARTICLES

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.

Latest articles

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Severe psychiatric disorders: causes & interventions for medication non-adherence

The key challenges to medication adherence for patients with severe psychotic disorders include -medication side effects, complexity, and duration as well as patient’s insights, beliefs, social stigma, and lack of support1. Psychoeducation, Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), and motivational interviewing are the typically used strategies to improve adherence2. The digital medicine system is a novel and…

Central Nervous System
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Adherence in Asthma – a victim of the episodic nature of the disease

Asthma is characterized by its episodic and unpredictable nature1. Inhalation therapy – the standard treatment of care – is not optimally adhered to by patients. The key barriers are unawareness, misconceptions, unaffordability, inaccessibility, and associated stigma1,2. Tracking adherence in asthma is also a considerable challenge. However, the upcoming smart technologies like the use of Smart-inhalers…

General Topics
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Oral therapies for cancer: a boon for treatment and bane for adherence

Oral therapies have revolutionized cancer treatment with their ease of administration. However, they are prone to non-adherence as drugs are administered by patients away from health care settings1. Cancer therapies are now akin to treatments for chronic ailments, lasting for several years. Therefore, the medication adherence barriers that pertain to chronic disease have become significant…

General Topics
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Pill reminders: Addressing non-adherence owing to forgetfulness

“You can look for external sources of motivation and that can catalyze a change, but it won’t sustain one. It has to be from internal desire.” – Jillian Michaels Medication adherence is defined by the World Health Organization as “the degree to which the person’s behavior corresponds with the agreed recommendations from a health care…

General Topics
Three healthcare practitioners in deep discussion.

Covid-19 as a teacher: Lessons learned in medication adherence

The covid-19 pandemic was catastrophic for healthcare infrastructure and it has highlighted the deficiencies in the system1. Medication non-adherence soared during the pandemic because of virus containment measures that led to disruption in healthcare services, breakdown of support network, financial constraints, and enhancement of psychological issues 2 Identifying the vulnerable, strengthening health infrastructure, and use…

General Topics
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Culture, food, and defiance of medical advice in cardiovascular care

Cardiovascular diseases are primarily lifestyle-associated illnesses stemming from unhealthy food choices and limited physical activity. This is further aided by our genetic predisposition toward clogging the arteries with fats1. Culture determines our food habits and shapes our beliefs and value systems. Often what we love to eat and have learned to believe are at loggerheads…

Cardio Metabolic
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Improving medication adherence through a collaborative approach with the CfBI Medical Adherence and Digital Health consortium

Abbott is proud to work with CfBI Medical Adherence and Digital Health consortium, which brings together powerful stakeholders and decision makers from across healthcare encompassing organizations from the pharmaceutical, pharmacy, contract research, technology, patient advocacy, insurance, and health care professional sectors – advised by leading academics. This is taking a collaborative pan industry approach to…

General Topics

The COM-B framework and its use in explaining non-adherence

A comprehensive framework for the assessment of adherence is needed Non-adherence is multi-faceted. Systematic reviews have suggested many reasons why patients may not adhere to their treatments.1 Some of these may be modifiable, such as patient understanding of their condition and the support available to them, and others may be fixed (such as the age…

Gastroenterology

Patient Support Programs: personalized digital adherence support

What are PSPs? Patient Support Programs are specifically designed to help patients in understanding their condition and taking medications directly. They can range from simple interventions such as the provision of pill boxes, to more complex solutions, for example organized programs with their roots in behavioral science theory.1,2 Whereas healthcare professionals may only have time-limited…

Gastroenterology

Tools for the assessment of adherence

Quantitative methods can be used to characterize health behavior Measures and survey tools are useful mechanisms to gain an understanding of health behavior, thereby providing effective support to patients in managing their own conditions. Surveys and questionnaires are simple to implement at the point of care and acceptable to patients. Outputs can then be used…

Gastroenterology

Behavioral approaches to changing adherence

Key Messages Commonly used behavior-change strategies Commonly used behavioral change techniques may not always be the most effective methods  of changing behavior.1 For example, presenting threatening information may not have the desired effect on behavior. In the context of adherence, the evidence that simply telling a patient that they must take their medication (i.e. only…

Gastroenterology

The role of beliefs in non-adherence

Beliefs have a strong influence over non-adherent behavior Adherence to medication can be influenced by a number of important beliefs that the patient holds, including their perception of their illness, their treatment, and self-efficacy (their own capacity to adhere).1 In the long term, adherence to medication requires individuals to initiate behavior based on:2 The Health…

Gastroenterology

Understanding the challenge of adherence in pancreatic exocrine insufficiency

Pancreatic exocrine insufficiency is associated with several conditions Pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI) is defined by insufficient secretion or function of pancreatic enzymes or sodium bicarbonate for normal digestion.1,2 Its prevalence in the general population is unclear, and estimations are problematic due to the lack of a suitable screening test.1 It is, however, accepted that prevalence…

Gastroenterology

The adherence challenge in cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular diseases have a social and economic impact Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality globally, accounting for 17.9 million deaths a year,1 with around 75-80% of these deaths taking place in low- and middle-income countries.2 For example, in Russia, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in men aged 49 or older.3…

Cardio Metabolic

Understanding adherence from a cardiovascular-disease perspective

Key Messages Defining adherence Adherence is a key factor in the effectiveness of therapies for both chronic and acute diseases. This is particularly true for cardiovascular disease, where nonadherence to chronic medications can have a negative impact on both the patient and the healthcare system. Non- adherence is often dubbed the Achilles heel of evidence-based…

Cardio Metabolic

The role of beliefs in non-adherence

Beliefs have a strong influence over a patient’s motivation to adhere to treatment These include patient beliefs about their illness, their treatment and their own capacity for adhering (self-efficacy) It is vital that clinicians assess patients individually to understand their beliefs and motivations, supporting them in adhering to their medication regimens Beliefs have an important…

Cardio Metabolic

Using tools to assess patient adherence

Measures and survey tools are useful for characterizing patient health behavior Quantitative methods are useful for characterizing health behavior and supporting patients in the self-management of their conditions. Surveys and questionnaires have the advantages of being easy to implement at the point of care and being acceptable to patients.1 They provide explicit examples and information…

Cardio Metabolic

Personalization of adherence support with Patient Support Programs (PSPs): the advent of the digital era

PSPs are behavioral interventions for improving adherence Patient Support Programs, or PSPs, can range from simple calendar pill boxes or pill blister packaging, to organized programs based on behavioral science frameworks.1,2 They can either be provided directly by the physician’s office or via sponsored programs. They are designed to support patients in being comfortable with…

Cardio Metabolic