Medication adherence part two: predictors of nonadherence and adherence

This is the second of a three-part series on medication adherence in which the authors describe the continuum of adherence to nonadherence of medication usage.

Research articles through MEDLINE and PubMed.

Understanding the magnitude and scope of the problem of medication nonadherence is the first step in reaching better adherence rates (described in Part One of this series). The second step is to recognize the complexities of the reasons for medication adherence/nonadherence (described here). Reasons for nonadherence include beliefs related to the benefits of medication for physical and mental disorders, complexities of systems of health care and treatment plans, and lifestyle and demographic characteristics of patients. The final step is to evaluate each patient for medication adherence, tailoring the plan of care according to patient and system specific barriers (described in Part Three of this series).

Nurse practitioners must recognize a critical element of thorough care is to assess medication adherence at each patient visit, countering patient and system barriers as indicated. Nurse practitioners also need to adjust assessment and prescribing practices according to the evidence for best practices to improve medication adherence.