The Importance of Adherence

Factors Influencing Adherence
- Dosing Schedule and Adherence

Measuring Adherence

HIV Therapy Adherence

Adherence Issues

Coping Strategies

Adherence Taskforce

References

Credits

Dosing Schedule and Adherence
Frequency of dosing appears critical to adherence. In a study in patients with hypertension, adherence improved from 59% in the group on three times daily dosing to 84% in the group on once daily dosing⁹. Adherence to once or twice daily dosing regimens appears similar. However, patients on twice daily dosing are less likely to miss a whole day's medication than those on once daily dosing¹⁰.

Morning doses are more reliably taken than evening doses¹¹. With twice daily antihypertensive drugs fewer than half the doses were taken within 12 + 2 hours¹². Timing of doses may be particularly important for people receiving protease inhibitors, which remain active in the body for a relatively short time. In people who missed only a few days of saquinavir the viral load in the blood rose rapidly, and the virus became resistant to the drug¹³.

Treatment recommendations are best tailored to an individual's own expectations and their own assessment of their ability to manage different dosing schedules (eg, twice daily versus three times daily) and dietary requirements for the different drugs (eg, having to take them with or without food). See Adherence issues for examples.

Measuring Adherence