Medication adherence

Question 1

The extent to which a patient’s behaviour matches medical advice given

Answer 1

Compliance

Question 2

Criticisms of using compliance as a measure

Answer 2

Paternalistic

Implies it is the patient’s sole responsibility to be compliant

Question 3

The extent to which the patient and medical professional agree on a treatment plan and it is followed through

Answer 3

Concordance

Question 4

Average adherence rates of medication

Answer 4

50%

Question 5

Self-report method to measure adherence which assesses a patient’s daily routines for taking their medication and looks at the proportion of drug a patient has missed over the previous week or month

Answer 5

Tablet routines questionnaire

Question 6

Method to calculate adherence from a pill count

Answer 6

Number of pills taken / number of pills prescribed x 100

Question 7

Most objective measure to monitor medication adherence

Answer 7

Saliva, plasma or urine assays

Question 8

Non-adherence rates for antipsychotics

Answer 8

40-60%

Question 9

Average non-adherence rate for antidepressants

Answer 9

63%

Question 10

Patient factors which do not affect adherence

Answer 10

Age at illness onset
Sex
Ethnicity
Socioeconomic status
Marital status

Question 11

Patient factors which decrease adherence

Answer 11

Cognitive deficits
Alcohol and drug use
Homelessness
Lack of insight
Poor self-efficacy

Question 12

Drug factors which decrease adherence

Answer 12

High frequency of doses
Oral - lower than depot
Polypharmacy
Drug is prophylactic or a maintenance treatment
Side effects

Question 13

Illness factors which decrease adherence

Answer 13

Long duration of illness
Lack of insight
Delusions, grandiosity

Question 14

Effect of dose strength on adherence

Answer 14

Very low doses have low adherence due to poor efficacy

Very high doses have low adherence due to side effects