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A proposal for quality standards for measuring medication adherence in research.
Ann Bartley Williams1, K Rivet Amico, Carol Bova
1School of Nursing, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. awilliams@sonnet.ucla.edu
AIDS and Behavior
|March 13, 2012
Summary
Measuring antiretroviral adherence remains controversial. This paper proposes best practices for medication adherence measurement methods to improve research quality and reliability in clinical studies.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Clinical Research
- Public Health
Background:
- Medication adherence is crucial for antiretroviral therapy (ART) effectiveness.
- A decade after ART recognition, a "gold standard" for adherence measurement is still debated.
- Current adherence measurement methods have limitations and rely on specific assumptions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose best practices for commonly used medication adherence measurement methods.
- To enhance the quality of medication adherence measurement in research.
- To provide recommendations for reporting adherence measurement in publications.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing adherence measurement approaches.
- Identification of strengths, weaknesses, and assumptions of each method.
- Development of a set of best practice recommendations.
Main Results:
- No single adherence measurement method is universally accepted as a "gold standard".
- The context of adherence measurement (e.g., study protocol) is critical for result interpretation.
- Variability in implementation and assumptions complicates direct comparison of studies.
Conclusions:
- Establishing best practices is essential for consistent and reliable medication adherence research.
- Clear reporting of adherence measurement methods and context is needed.
- Implementing proposed best practices will improve the evaluation of antiretroviral effectiveness.
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