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.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…