Medicine Adherence Definitions

Question 1

Compliance

Answer 1

Patient’s behaviour matches the prescriber’s recommendation

Question 2

Adherence

Answer 2

Patient’s behaviour matches agreed recommendations from the prescriber

Question 3

Concordance

Answer 3

Patient and prescriber agree therapeutic decisions that incorporate respective views stretches from prescribing communication to patient support in medicine taking

Question 4

Shared Decision-Making

Answer 4

Patient and prescriber works together to reach a joint decision about care.
Supports people to be involved in their own care.
Crucial for promoting adherence to treatment.

Question 5

Non-adherence

Answer 5

Not initiating treatment
Not following recommendations
Stopping treatment early

Question 6

Intentional non-adherence

Answer 6

Patient makes conscious decision not to follow treatment recommendations.
Consider patient’s reasons, perceptions, preferences and beliefs

Question 7

Unintentional non-adherence

Answer 7

Patient wants to follow treatment recommendations but is prevented from doing so by certain factors

Question 8

Domains of non-adherence

Answer 8

Condition related factors - symptoms
Health system / healthcare team factors - unclear instructions
Patient-related factors - disagreement with the necessity of treatment
Therapy-related factors - adverse effects
Social and economic factors - age, gender, inability to pay