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Editorial
. 2022 Oct;57(5):593-595.
doi: 10.1177/00185787221074570. Epub 2022 Feb 14.

The Slow Path to Therapeutic Adherence

Francesco Ferrara  1 , Livia Nava  2 , Ugo Trama  3 , Eduardo Nava  4 , Antonio Vitiello  5
Affiliations
Editorial

The Slow Path to Therapeutic Adherence

Francesco Ferrara et al. Hosp Pharm. 2022 Oct.

Abstract

The therapeutic adherence to drug therapies is a crucial aspect for the proper management of chronicity. Over time, we are witnessing the evolution of the concept of adherence: today the patient must play an increasingly active role in the entire process in order for the pharmacological therapy to be fully successful. Poor therapeutic adherence can cause a bad success of the treatment path and, at the same time, lead to higher expenses. In this regard, it is necessary that each health company must undertake dedicated and organized paths. At the Asl Napoli 3 Sud an analysis of adherence in the year 2020 was carried out regarding the major pharmacological classes prescribed: anti-hypertensives, antidepressants, statins, anti-diabetes, and drugs for bpco and osteoporosis. The results show a very poor adherence where, at best, we have an adherence of about 50% of the therapies dispensed. This analysis shows how it is necessary to share actions with doctors and patients themselves to try to stem this phenomenon that is harmful both therapeutically and economically. Thus, it becomes essential to search for possible strategies for improvement and include them in the Diagnostic-Therapeutic-Assistance Pathways (PDTA).

Keywords: adherence; compliance; drugs; pharmacology; treatment.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The chart shows the main drug treatments. It highlights the correlation between adherence and number of treatments.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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