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International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy

, Volume 36, Issue 1, pp 10–14 | Cite as

How do we better translate adherence research into improvements in patient care?

  • Adam La Caze
  • Gina GujralEmail author
  • William Neil Cottrell
Commentary
First Online:

Introduction

Adherence to medicines in patients with chronic disease remains poor despite better recognition of the challenges of non-adherence and a concerted effort to address these challenges. Adherence research has progressed in recent years, both conceptually with the recent development of a taxonomy of adherence [1] and improved, if still flawed, evidence for the efficacy of some interventions [2]. However, a key challenge remains unmet: the translation of adherence research into clear advice for health professionals of effective strategies to better support the medication adherence of their patients. We outline some of the difficulties of improving the translation of adherence research into improvements in the care of individuals with chronic disease, and consider possible solutions. We have two suggestions for improving translation of adherence research: (1) better incorporation of what we know about adherence into interventions to improve adherence and (2) more sophisticated...

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Notes

Acknowledgments

We like to thank Thi-Mi-Uyen Nguyen and Holly Ross for discussions relating to this commentary. Thanks also to two anonymous referees for helpful comments.

Funding

None.

Conflicts of interest

None.

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Copyright information

© Koninklijke Nederlandse Maatschappij ter bevordering der Pharmacie 2013

Authors and Affiliations

  • Adam La Caze
    • 1
  • Gina Gujral
    • 1
    Email author
  • William Neil Cottrell
    • 1
  1. 1.School of PharmacyThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia

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