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. 2008 Jan;13(1):19-24.
doi: 10.1093/pch/13.1.19.

Adherence to treatment in adolescents

Danielle Taddeo  1 , Maud Egedy, Jean-Yves Frappier
Affiliations

Adherence to treatment in adolescents

Danielle Taddeo et al. Paediatr Child Health. 2008 Jan.

Abstract
in English, French

Health care professionals must be alert to the high prevalence of low adherence to treatment during adolescence. Low adherence increases morbidity and medical complications, contributes to poorer quality of life and an overuse of the health care system. Many different factors have an impact on adherence. However, critical factors to consider in teens are their developmental stage and challenges, emotional issues and family dysfunction. Direct and indirect methods have been described to assess adherence. Eliciting an adherence history is the most useful way for clinicians to evaluate adherence, and could be the beginning of a constructive dialogue with the adolescent. Interventions to improve adherence are multiple - managing mental health issues appropriately, building a strong relationship, customizing the treatment regimen if possible, empowering the adolescent to deal with adherence issues, providing information, ensuring family and peer support, and motivational enhancement therapy. Evaluation of adherence at regular intervals should be an important aspect of health care for adolescents.

Les professionnels de la santé doivent être conscients de la forte prévalence de faible adhésion au traitement pendant l’adolescence. Cette faible adhésion accroît la morbidité et les complications médicales, contribue à une diminution de la qualité de vie et à une surutilisation du système de santé. De nombreux facteurs différents ont des répercussions sur cette adhésion. Cependant, les facteurs essentiels à envisager chez les adolescents sont leur étape de développement et les problèmes qu’ils affrontent, les défis émotionnels et le dysfonctionnement familial. Des méthodes directes et indirectes permettent d’évaluer l’adhésion. L’obtention des antécédents d’adhésion constitue le moyen le plus utile pour les cliniciens d’évaluer l’adhésion et peut déclencher un dialogue constructif avec l’adolescent. Il existe de multiples interventions pour améliorer l’adhésion, telles que la prise en charge convenable des troubles de santé mentale, l’établissement d’une relation solide, la personnalisation du schéma thérapeutique dans la mesure du possible, l’habilitation de l’adolescent à affronter les problèmes d’adhésion, la transmission d’information, la garantie du soutien de la famille et des camarades et la thérapie de mise en valeur de la motivation. L’évaluation de l’adhésion à intervalles réguliers devrait constituer un aspect important des soins aux adolescents.

Keywords: Adherence; Adolescent; Compliance; Treatment.

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