Adherence

How it is used

Poor adherence is very common, especially with long-term medicines for conditions without symptoms, such as high blood pressure. Pharmacists support adherence with counselling, reminder charts, pill organisers and medication reviews. 'Adherence' has largely replaced the older word 'compliance', which suggested the patient simply had to obey.

Example sentences

1. His blood pressure isn't controlled, but the real problem may be adherence, not the drug.

2. A weekly pill organiser has really improved her adherence.

Common collocations

• improve adherence
• poor adherence
• medication adherence
• non-adherence
• adherence support

Related terms

• patient counsellingThe conversation in which a pharmacist explains to a patient how to use a medicine, what to expect from it and which side effects or warnings to watch for.
• medication reviewA structured check of all the medicines a patient takes, usually done with the patient, to make sure each one is still needed, effective, safe and taken correctly.
• polypharmacyThe use of many medicines at the same time by one patient, often defined as five or more, which raises the risk of interactions and side effects.
• refillA further supply of a medicine that is allowed on the same prescription, so that the patient does not need a new prescription each time.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• adherence · Medicine
• adherence · Nutrition & Dietetics
• adherence · Physiotherapy

More terms: Dispensing and Counselling

• pharmacist
• dispense
• expiry date
• dispensing label
• take with food
• patient information leaflet
• compounding
• cold chain