Improving on a Coin Toss To Predict Patient Adherence to Medications
Authors: Barbara J. Turner, Frederick M. Hecht
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2001)

Editorials15 May 2001Improving on a Coin Toss To Predict Patient Adherence to MedicationsBarbara J. Turner, MD, MSEd and Frederick M. Hecht, MDBarbara J. Turner, MD, MSEdUniversity of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, PA 19104 (Turner)San Francisco General Hospital; San Francisco, CA 94110 (Hecht) and Frederick M. Hecht, MDUniversity of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, PA 19104 (Turner)San Francisco General Hospital; San Francisco, CA 94110 (Hecht)Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-134-10-200105150-00015 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail According to the father of medicine, Hippocrates, "The physician must not only be prepared to do what is right himself, but also to make the patient … cooperate" (1). Although Hippocrates' paternalistic tone might affront modern physicians and patients, the challenge of promoting patient adherence to effective treatments still confounds providers 23 centuries later. Adherence has become an increasingly central aspect of patient care because of the burgeoning array of effective treatments for many chronic diseases. In the face of remarkable medical advances, it is especially distressing that evaluation of patient adherence (also called compliance or pill taking) remains an ...References1. Adams F. Genuine Works of Hippocrates. Melbourne, FL: Krieger Publishing; 1972. Google Scholar2. Liu H, Golin CE, Miller LG, Hays RD, Beck CK, Sanandaji S, et al . A comparison study of multiple measures of adherence to HIV protease inhibitors. Ann Intern Med. 2001;134:968-77. LinkGoogle Scholar3. Nichol MB, Venturini F, Sung JC. A critical evaluation of the methodology of the literature on medication compliance. Ann Pharmacother. 1999;33:531-40. 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Adherence to triple therapy and viral load response [Letter]. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2000;23:360-1. [PMID: 0010836763] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar17. Maher K, Klimas N, Fletcher MA, Cohen V, Maggio CM, Triplett J, et al . Disease progression, adherence, and response to protease inhibitor therapy for HIV infection in an Urban Veterans Affairs Medical Center. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 1999;22:358-63. [PMID: 0010634197] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar18. Gifford AL, Bormann JE, Shively MJ, Wright BC, Richman DD, Bozzette SA. Predictors of self-reported adherence and plasma HIV concentrations in patients on multidrug antiretroviral regimens. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2000;23:386-95. [PMID: 0010866231] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar19. Haynes RB, Sackett DL, Gibson ES, Taylor DW, Hackett BC, Roberts RS, et al . Improvement of medication compliance in uncontrolled hypertension. Lancet. 1976;1:1265-8. [PMID: 0000073694] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar20. Dunn G. The problem of measurement error in modelling the effect of compliance in a randomized trial. Stat Med. 1999;18:2863-77. [PMID: 0010523747] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: University of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, PA 19104 (Turner)San Francisco General Hospital; San Francisco, CA 94110 (Hecht)Corresponding Author: Barbara J. Turner, MD, MSEd, University of Pennsylvania, 1122 Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19104; e-mail, [email protected]med.upenn.edu.Current Author Addresses: Dr. Turner: University of Pennsylvania, 1122 Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19104.Dr. Hecht: University of California at San Francisco Positive Health Program, San Francisco General Hospital, Ward 84, 995 Potrero Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94110. 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