Evaluating Adherence-Enhancing Interventions

Abstract

A number of systematic reviews evaluating adherence-enhancing interventions have been published in recent years. The Cochrane reviews of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have assessed interventions for improving medication adherence for commonly occurring singlechronic conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia [54, 55, 138]. The reviews report methodologic problems and insufficient evidence to support adherence-enhancing strategies in these specific single conditions. Haynes et al identified effective ways to improve medication adherence for a variety of medical conditions in widely differing populations. Adherence to short-term drug treatment was improved by written information, personal phone calls, and counseling. For longterm treatments, no simple interventions and only some complex ones led to some improvement in health outcomes [12].