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Personalizing drug regimen to patient’s routine may help increase adherence
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CHICAGO – Barriers to patient compliance with long-term daily medication regimens can be overcome using strategies individualized to the patient, according to a speaker.
The longer a patient is on therapy and the more medications the patient takes are both factors that decrease compliance, Douglas J. Rhee, MD, said at Glaucoma Day preceding the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting here.
“Persistence with medication decreases dramatically over time,” he said. Even with improved dosing methods and the availability of combination products, the public continues to be noncompliant.
To help patients adhere to their dosing regimens, Dr. Rhee suggested minimizing side effects, minimizing cost and simplifying the regimen.
“Start with simplified doses—once a day products,” he said. “We also have combination agents and at least one of them is generic,” he said, which helps reduce cost as well as the number of administrations.
Dr. Rhee said that coupling the dose with a daily activity, such as with dinner or with brushing teeth, is a particularly effective strategy for increasing adherence to a drug regimen.
“The best tool you have is the doctor to patient communication,” Dr. Rhee said. “You can individualize the situation for the patient.”
Using that relationship to educate the patient effectively with printed materials and Internet resources is also effective, he said.
- Disclosure: Dr. Rhee is a consultant for or receives research funding for Alcon, Allergan, Johnson & Johnson, Novagali Pharma and Santen.