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Adherence to controller therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a review
Meaghan St Charles1, Christopher M Blanchette, Harris Silver
1Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, Kannapolis, North Carolina 28081, USA. cblanchette@LRRI.org
Current Medical Research and Opinion
|September 7, 2010
Summary
Medication adherence in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is low. Patient education and understanding medication characteristics are key to improving adherence and outcomes for COPD patients.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonary Medicine
- Pharmacology
- Health Outcomes Research
Background:
- Adherence to controller medications is crucial for managing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Existing research has examined adherence, but systematic reviews identifying research gaps are limited.
- Understanding adherence properties of different COPD therapies is essential for prescribers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review adherence outcomes for various controller therapies in COPD patients.
- To identify areas for future research to improve COPD management.
- To aid prescribers in understanding adherence characteristics of COPD medications.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of studies on adherence/persistence to COPD controller regimens.
- Searched PubMed (2008-2009) using keywords: COPD, adherence, controller medication, persistence.
- Included studies published after 1990 with adherence/persistence data for COPD treatments.
Main Results:
- Ten applicable articles were identified after filtering.
- All studies indicated low medication adherence and/or persistence in COPD patients.
- Fluticasone/salmeterol (FSC) and tiotropium (TIO) showed the highest adherence; married, older, white patients adhered more.
Conclusions:
- Medication characteristics (dosing, formulation) and patient factors influence COPD medication adherence.
- Enhanced patient education is necessary for improved COPD disease management and outcomes.
- Future research and educational efforts should focus on improving adherence by identifying specific medication and behavioral characteristics.
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