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Physician offers simple ways to improve glaucoma regimen adherence
 Michael V. Boland |
DANA POINT, Calif. — Adherence to a medication regimen may be problematic for some patients with glaucoma, a physician said here, reporting on results of the Automated Dosing Reminder Study.
"We know that reducing the complexity of dosing is helpful," Michael V. Boland, MD, PhD, said at the American Glaucoma Society meeting.
Personal health records and telecommunication-based reminders, in the form of voice or text messages, are a practical method of improving adherence, according to Dr. Boland. This simple intervention increased adherence in noncompliant patients by 16%, he said.
The study recruited 428 patients, but only the patients who were noncompliant with medications were studied after the first 3 months. These patients were randomized to either a control group, whose adherence increased insignificantly from 49% to 50% during the study, or the intervention group receiving automated reminders, whose adherence increased statistically significantly from 51% to 67%.
"Medication adherence is clearly a problem," Dr. Boland said. Automated reminders linked to a personal health record are effective in improving adherence, he said, but physicians should be aware that the intervention is not for everyone; that is, the patients who are already compliant do not need the reminders.
- Disclosure: Dr. Boland reports no financial disclosures relevant to this presentation.