Mapping medication adherence interventions across Europe: Expert perspectives from 35 countries

Medication adherence (MA) is a key challenge in healthcare. Literature about the real-world implementation of MA interventions across Europe remains poorly understood. This study aims to map MA interventions reported by experts across Europe.

This cross-sectional study used a self-administered online survey targeting MA experts from 39 European countries. Experts were defined as professionals with clinical, policy, or research expertise in МА.

Open-ended responses on expert-reported MA interventions were analysed using the framework method. The resulting categories were quantified at respondent level and described overall and by European region. Regional differences in the proportions of respondents reporting each intervention category were explored using exact tests, with adjustment for multiple comparisons.

A total of 140 MA experts from 35 European countries participated. Communication and education (83.6%) were the most frequently reported interventions, followed by follow-up and monitoring (53.6%), technological solutions (32.1%), and collaborative and multidisciplinary approaches (30.0%). Exploratory analyses identified regional differences in the reporting of collaborative and multidisciplinary approaches and technological solutions. Direct patient communication (35.0%) was the intervention most frequently perceived as successful by respondents and technological solutions were less frequently perceived as successful (12.9%).

This study provides an expert-reported overview of MA interventions across European settings. Communication and education were the most frequently reported approaches, whereas technological and multidisciplinary interventions were reported less often. These findings support the need for further evaluation and more systematic integration of MA interventions across diverse European healthcare settings.