Practical Steps to Improve Medication Compliance

Course overview

This learning activity discusses the pressing issue of medication non-adherence, which impacts 50% of patients with chronic conditions and leads to poor outcomes. It outlines the scope of non-adherence behaviors from not filling prescriptions to taking incorrect doses. Reasons for these behaviors are explored, from socioeconomic barriers to poor communication by providers to intentional choices by patients. Nurses are uniquely positioned to assess and assist patients struggling with adherence through evidence-based strategies tailored to assessed deficits. The learning activity details proven interventions like simplifying complex regimens, medication reminders, patient education, social support, financial assistance programs, remote monitoring tools, shared decision-making around treatment, and motivational interviewing techniques to uncover attitudes and resolve ambivalence. Even small gains translate to clinically meaningful improvements in illness management. Equipped with an understanding of adherence barriers and solutions, nurses can have significant impact on this issue.