Adherence is one of the main problems for chronic illnesses like Osteoarthritis. Globally, it has been reported that only half of patients adhere to their medication as prescribed by their doctor.*
*WHO report on adherence, 2003
Adherence to treatment definition
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines adherence as: “The extent to which a person’s behaviour taking medication, following a diet, and/or executing lifestyle changes, corresponds with agreed recommendations from a health care provider.”
Unlike compliance, adherence requires that patients agree with the provided recommendations.
How to improve adherence?
The following 3 videos present different scenarios that illustrate the importance of creating the right conditions to promote better patient adherence.
These videos have been produced with the collaboration of Dr. Monique Chalem, a medical doctor from the University of Rosario in Colombia, who is specialized in internal medicine and rheumatology. Dr. Chalem is also the former president of the Colombian Association of Rheumatology (Asoreuma).
Still a way to go towards adherence
The interaction shown in this video is not a recommended practice.
When recommending a treatment, it is important to give the patient time to express what they can or cannot do. Otherwise, there is a high risk that they will not properly follow the recommendations.
On the way to adherence
The interaction shown in this video is not a fully recommended practice
The doctor takes the time to explain the pathology and the patient’s condition. However, the patient is not given the chance to talk about his habits or what he can do to improve his condition.
Implementation of an action plan with the patient to improve adherence
This video shows how to proceed.
The doctor asks the patient what both can do to improve his condition and proposes to establish an action plan together. The patient has time to talk about their life, behavior, and habits. The doctor evaluates all these aspects to recommend the most appropriate treatment plan and encourages the patient to achieve success in their treatment. This collaborative approach leads to a higher likelihood of treatment adherence.
