Strategies for Improving Adherence

Saturday, 26 July 2014: 9:10 AM

Mary Ellen Roberts, DNP, RN, APN, FAANP, FAAN
College of Nursing, Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ

Purpose: This is the third of a three part series on Medication Adherence in which the authors describe the continuum of adherence to non-adherence of medication usage.

Methods: Research articles through Medline and PubMed.

Results: Understanding the magnitude and scope of the problem of medication non-adherence is the first step in reaching better adherence rates.  The second step is to evaluate the risk factors for each patient for medication adherence/non-adherence.  Steps are then taken to prevent non-adherence.

Conclusion: The implications for nurse practitioners include using time with patients to assist them in adherence, building a trusting relationship with patients, and developing protocols for assessing and preventing non-adherence.