Tactics and technologies to manage nonadherence in patients with schizophrenia

Abstract

The occurrence of treatment nonadherence among patients with schizophrenia is clinically significant. However, studies show that clinicians do not make systematic efforts to identify and monitor it over time. This paper reviews the various tactics for identifying and monitoring adherence behavior. A comprehensive review of published studies comparing typical and atypical antipsychotics in terms of medication adherence yields mixed results at best. Changing forces in the delivery of health care in the United States will promote efforts to improve the recognition of nonadherence in patients with schizophrenia and develop strategies and tactics to decrease the current rates of nonadherence. Such tactics are described in this paper, and emerging best practices are identified. Ultimately, if nonadherence rates are to decrease, it will be necessary to align the incentives of the treater and the treated.