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ADHERENCE &
BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE

Adherence to medical treatments is crucial for improving overall population health, but despite medical advances, control over various chronic diseases has not improved, driven primarily by non-adherence to treatments.1,2

31%

of patients never fill their first prescription.3,4

50%

of patients do not take their medications as prescribed.5

33%

of patients stop their treatments earlier than recommended.4

Globally, poor medication adherence has devastating consequences, including 200,000 premature deaths annually in Europe, €125 billion excess healthcare costs in Europe, and $105 billion in avoidable US hospitalizations each year. 4

ADHERENCE IS A BEHAVIOR

  • Most patients state “forgetting” as their main reason for non-adherence.6
  • Recent studies show that providing reminders are only helpful if patients are motivated to take their medicines and comply with their treatment.7

BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE CAN HELP US TO
UNDERSTAND WHY PATIENTS DO NOT TAKE
THEIR TREATMENT

That’s why we created A:CARE, a pioneering program developed in collaboration with leading behavioral science experts. Armed with evidence-based digital solutions, A:CARE aims to transform care and advance health equity through education, insight and coaching:

  • Recognizing the challenges of non-adherence
  • Improving medication adherence by understanding its drivers
  • Changing mindsets from “treating diseases” to “treating people”

Our unique approach to improving adherence represents a new world of educating healthcare professionals and empowering patients, driven by the intersection of behavioral science and technology.

Learn more by exploring our articles and masterclasses

References

  1. Haynes RB, Ackloo E, Sahota N, McDonald HP, Yao X. Interventions for enhancing medication adherence. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2008, Issue 2 Art. No.:CD000011. DOI: 10.1002 / 14651858.CD000011.pub3.
  2. Edelman SV, Polonsky WH. Type 2 Diabetes in the Real World: The Elusive Nature of Glycemic Control. Diabetes Care. 2017; 40 (11): 1425-1432. doi: 10.2337 / dc16-1974.
  3. Fischer MA, Stedman MR, Lii J, et al. Primary medication non-adherence: analysis of 195,930 electronic prescriptions. J Gen Intern Med. 2010; 25 (4): 284-290. doi: 10.1007 / s11606-010-1253-9.
  4. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2018. Http://www.Oecd.Org/Officialdocuments/Publicdisplaydocumentpdf/?Cote=DELSA/HEA/WD/HWP(2018)2&Doclanguage=En. OECD Health Working Paper No. 105 “Investing in medication adherence improve health outcomes and health system efficiency” Adherence to medicines for diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidaemia. Last accessed September 2023.
  5. Sabaté E, ed. Adherence to Long-Term Therapies: Evidence for Action. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2003.
  6. Gadkari AS, & McHorney CA. Unintentional non-adherence to chronic prescription medications: How unintentional is it really? BMC Health Serv Res. 2012 Jun 14;12:98. doi: 10.1186/1472-6963-12-98.
  7. Choudhry NK, Krumme AA, Ercole PM, et al. Effect of Reminder Devices on Medication Adherence: The REMIND Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Intern Med. 2017;177(5):624-631. doi:10.1001/ jamainternmed.2016.9627.