Interventions to Improve Adherence to Cardiovascular Medication: What About Gender Differences? A Systematic...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular disease research
• Medication adherence studies
• Gender differences in healthcare

Background:

• Women exhibit lower cardiovascular disease (CVD) treatment rates and higher medication non-adherence compared to men.
• Distinct reasons contribute to non-adherence in women, necessitating targeted approaches.
• Existing interventions often overlook gender-specific needs in cardiovascular medication adherence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and evaluate gender-specific interventions for cardiovascular medication adherence.
• To assess the gender-specific effects of gender-neutral interventions on cardiovascular medication adherence.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search conducted across major databases (PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Cochrane Library) from January 2007 to October 2019.
• Included intervention studies with a control group and a minimum 14-week follow-up period.
• Data extraction focused on gender-specific targeting or analysis of intervention effects.

Main Results:

• Eleven studies analyzing gender differences in gender-neutral interventions were included from 6502 initial citations.
• Only two studies reported a gender-specific intervention effect: electronic reminders for women's statin adherence and telephone counseling showing greater benefit for men's CVD medication adherence.
• Nine studies found no significant gender-specific effects.

Conclusions:

• Most adherence studies fail to analyze potential gender-specific effects, despite known differences in non-adherence.
• No identified studies employed gender-specific adherence-promoting interventions for cardiovascular medication.
• Raising awareness of gender differences is crucial for tailoring interventions and improving medication adherence outcomes.