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Medication adherence and health care utilization in pediatric chronic illness: a systematic review

Meghan E McGrady1, Kevin A Hommel

  • 1Center for Adherence and Self-Management, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical, Center MLC 7039, 3333 Burnet Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45229-3026. meghan.mcgrady@cchmc.org.

Pediatrics
|September 4, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Medication non-adherence in pediatric chronic illness is linked to higher healthcare use. Addressing adherence is crucial for managing costs and improving care for these young patients.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Chronic Illness Management
  • Healthcare Economics

Background:

  • Understanding modifiable predictors of healthcare utilization in pediatric chronic illness is essential for cost reduction.
  • Medication non-adherence represents a significant, yet potentially modifiable, factor influencing healthcare use in this population.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the relationship between medication non-adherence and healthcare utilization in children and adolescents with chronic medical conditions.
  • To synthesize existing evidence on how medication non-adherence impacts healthcare use and costs in pediatric chronic illness.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review of literature using PubMed, PsycINFO, and CINAHL databases.
  • Inclusion of studies examining medication non-adherence and healthcare use (hospitalizations, ED visits, outpatient visits) or costs in individuals aged 18 years or younger with chronic conditions.
  • Data extraction using predefined fields from selected studies.

Main Results:

  • Ten studies met the inclusion criteria for the review.
  • A significant relationship between medication non-adherence and increased healthcare use was found in 90% of the reviewed studies.
  • The specific impact of non-adherence on healthcare use varied based on the outcome measured.

Conclusions:

  • Medication non-adherence is demonstrably associated with increased healthcare utilization among pediatric patients with chronic conditions.
  • Clinical interventions should actively address medication adherence to mitigate healthcare use and associated costs.
  • Future research should prioritize randomized controlled trials to evaluate the effectiveness of adherence promotion strategies on healthcare outcomes and costs.
Abstract

Keywords:
chronic diseasehealth care costshealth care quality, access, and evaluationmedication adherence

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