The Clinical Side: Contribute to compliance

The rep's role in patient adherence

Jul 1, 2005
By: Jane Y. Chin
Pharmaceutical Representative

Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop said it best: "Drugs don't work if people don't take them." Patient compliance, also known as patient adherence, is defined by the World Health Organization as "the extent to which a person's behavior -- taking medication, following a diet, and/or executing lifestyle changes -- corresponds with agreed recommendations from a healthcare provider." Noncompliance is a problem that crosses socioeconomic boundaries and can have serious consequences for patients.

As manufacturers of therapeutics, pharmaceutical companies have an obvious interest in patient compliance, and not only a financial one. A patient who is not compliant with antidiabetic therapy risks complications that ultimately will require serious intervention and chronic polypharmacy. A patient who did not anticipate the side effects of certain antidepressive therapies may take "drug holidays" or self-medicate with other drugs, with potentially disastrous consequences. Pharma companies therefore offer significant research- and education-related resources for improving patient compliance.

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