Self-reported factors influencing adherence to oral psoriasis treatment

Psoriasis impairs quality of life, and treatment efficacy is limited by poor adherence. Although patients prefer oral therapies, adherence to oral medications can also be low.

To examine factors influencing adherence to deucravacitinib, an oral selective tyrosine kinase 2 inhibitor.

Forty adults with plaque psoriasis were provided deucravacitinib 6 mg daily and an electronic monitoring dock that recorded dose events. Participants were randomized to standard monitoring or monitoring with electronic reminders. After study completion, participants were stratified into the most (top 20%, T20) and least (bottom 20%, B20) adherent groups. Short-answer qualitative interviews were conducted at study conclusion, and responses were grouped into themes based on content analysis.

Twenty-eight participants completed the study. Mean adherence was 98.6% ± 0.9% in T20 (n = 13) and 82.5% ± 10.7% in B20 (n = 6). All participants self-reported taking the medication as prescribed. The T20 participants reported understanding how deucravacitinib works and cited electronic reminders as helpful for adherence. The B20 most frequently relied on routine to help with adherence.

Greater understanding of therapy and use of reminders were associated with higher adherence. Patients relying on routine may benefit from structured reminder systems.