Compliance with drug therapy

E. D. Sumner, Compliance with drug therapy, in Handbook of Geriatric Drug Therapy for Health Care Professionals, Lea Febiger, Philadelphia, 1983, pp. 43-52. 

As general knowledge of the role of the gene in biology and in the practice of medicine increases, the definitions of race and ethnicity are likely to evolve in social discourse to reflect a more scientific understanding of biological diversify. The value of race as a predictor of disease and response to, or compliance with, drug therapy is an area of considerable debate. The... 

Encourages written instruction sheets, medications monitoring, and personalized cormseling by the pharmacist Monitors patient compliance with drug therapy Maintains and utilizes patient medication records to prevent unnecessary and potentially harmful drug interactions and other problems (called medication misadventures)... 

Feely M, Cooke J, Price D, Singleton S, Mehta A, Bradford L, et al. 1987. Low-dose phenobarbitone as an indicator of compliance with drug therapy . Br. J. Clin. Pharmacol. 24 77—83. 

Bradley C. Compliance with drug therapy. Prescriher s /1999 39(1). 

Compliance with disulfiram therapy is often low, and both compliance and clinical outcome can be improved by supervised administration. When the drug is prescribed, the alcohol content of common nonprescription medications should be communicated to the patient some of these are listed in Table 64-3. Management with disulfiram should be initiated only when the patient has been free of alcohol for at least 24 hours. The drug may cause mild changes in liver function tests. The safety of disulfiram in pregnancy has not been demonstrated. The duration of disulfiram treatment should be individualized and determined by the patient s responsiveness and clinical improvement. The usual oral dose is 250 mg daily taken at bedtime. 

Rudd, P. Maximizing compliance with antihypertensive therapy. Drug Ther. 1992, 22, 25-32. 

Noncompliance with prescribed medication regimens is a major problem in pharmacotherapy and results in 300,000 deaths in the United States annually. There are three distinguishing phases to noncompliance (a) acclimatization period, (b) compliance with the decision, and (c) discontinuation. Several methods are used to measure patient compliance to drug therapy. They range from direct questioning and the use of interview instruments, to patient diaries, pill counts, MEMS, drug... 

The expected outcomes of the patient depend on the reason for administration of penicillin but may include an optimal response to drug therapy, management of common adverse reactions, and an understanding of and compliance with the prescribed drug regimen. 

The expected outcomes of the person formerly dependent on opioids may include an optimal response to therapy, which includes compliance with the treatment program, remaining drug free, and an understanding of the drug rehabilitation program. 

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