Systematic screening of med adherence will ID barriers

(HealthDay)—Implementation of systematic monitoring for medication adherence will allow for identification of barriers to adherence and tailoring of interventions, according to a viewpoint piece published in the May 22/29 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Zachary A. Marcum, Pharm.D., from the University of Pittsburg, and colleagues discuss the issues surrounding detection and treatment of medication non-adherence.

The authors note that most clinicians are not formally trained in screening for or diagnosing medication non-adherence. At least six medication non-adherence phenotypes have been identified and each requires distinct diagnostic tools and treatments. To have public health effects, measures of medication adherence should be recorded in the electronic health record, which would allow for sharing among health care professionals and insurers and establishment of trends. After routinely screening for medication non-adherence in adults, barriers should be identified for treatments for specific conditions. Attempts have been made to improve medication adherence, with education interventions with behavioral support effective for several chronic diseases at the patient level. Few studies have specifically recruited participants with difficulties in medication adherence or targeted participants' barriers to adherence.

"Based on identified barriers derived from systematic screening, patient-tailored interventions can be delivered in a safe, effective, and efficient manner, with systematic monitoring over time due to the dynamic process of medication adherence," the authors write. "Synergism among multiple disciplines is necessary to successfully improve medication adherence for adults."