Improving Patient Treatment Adherence : A Clinician's Guide

Despite its direct effect on a patient’s health, the literature on treatment adherence does not yet include a summary of proven methods for identifying and addressing patient non-adherence. Improving Patient Treatment Adherence Across Multiple Behaviors: A Clinician''s Guide differs significantly from many treatment adherence books on the market by focusing on clinicians and the practical tactics they need to improve patient adherence. The book is orgnaized by behavior and special issues as opposed to other texts, which look at treatment adherence as a theoretical concept. Each chapter provides a summary of existing literature regarding the impact of patient non-adherence, including costs, clinical outcomes and health-related quality of life, as well as a review of patient factors related to treatment adherence across behaviors, diseases, and special populations. A discussion of methods for improving treatment adherence takes a look at both proven methods and new technological advances in the field. Each chapter includes a table listing 3-5 key bullets that a clinician could use to address treatment adherence. Actual questions and scoring algorithms for widely used measures of treatment adherence make this book a useful guide for practicing clinicans.