Assessment of adherence to medication for cardiovascular diseases: measurement tools

Abstract

The effectiveness of treatment and prevention of chronic illnesses can be optimised with adherence to medication treatment. This is very often assessed by means of a self-report. However, the challenge here is to choose the most suitable questionnaire or the one that is best overall in a given situation. The aim of this systematic review was to assess existing self-reported medication adherence scales, which measure adherence to treatment for cardiovascular disease. The review demonstrated that relatively few disease-specific adherence scales exist. Generic questionnaires and those specific to adherence to hypertension treatment are the most numerous. Questionnaires specifically measuring adherence to anti-haemorrhage treatment for atrial fibrillation are particularly necessary and noticeably absent. The two most important aspects that need to be taken into account when selecting the most appropriate scale in a given context are the subject of the measurement (what) and the method of validation (how).

Keywords: adherence; cardiovascular disease; measurement; questionnaires.