Preventing medication nonadherence: a framework for interventions to support early engagement with treatment

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Patient Adherence Studies
• Preventative Medicine

Background:

• Medication nonadherence is a significant issue, leading to increased illness, death, and healthcare costs.
• Many patients discontinue or do not collect new medications shortly after prescription.
• Early nonadherence predicts long-term issues, influenced by habit formation and illness-related life disruptions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a preventative strategy for medication nonadherence.
• To identify intervention opportunities early in the patient's medication journey.
• To explore population-level, prescription process, and patient-focused interventions.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing evidence on nonadherence prevalence and determinants.
• Mapping early nonadherence patterns to intervention points.
• Conceptualizing population, prescription, and patient-level interventions.

Main Results:

• Early intervention is feasible and can target population, prescription, and patient levels.
• Specific interventions and tools can operationalize a preventative approach.
• Predictors of nonadherence may be present before treatment initiation.

Conclusions:

• A proactive, preventative approach to medication nonadherence is proposed.
• Interventions should focus on the early stages of medication use.
• Further research is needed to promote early medication engagement and prevent nonadherence.