Centre for Policy on Ageing



A systematic review of the effectiveness of interventions to help older people adhere to medication regimes
Author(s)	Nicola Higgins, Ciaran Regan
Journal title	Age and Ageing, vol 33, no 3, May 2004
Pages	pp 224-229
Source	http://www.ageing.oupjournals.org
Keywords	Drugs ; Usage [services] ; Literature reviews.
Annotation	Non-adherence is a common cause of treatment failure. The causes and context of non-adherence may differ among older people, but reviews of interventions to improve adherence have tended to focus on the younger adult population. This systematic review identified seven studies on adherence to medication for people aged 60+. The studies used a variety of approaches involving external cognitive supports and/or educational interventions. Most were of poor methodological quality. Statistically significant effects, where present, tended to have small effects clinically. Thus, there is no robust evidence supporting any one type of approach. Future research should use combinations of approaches, as there is some evidence that these are most likely to be successful. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-040614204 A
Classmark	LLD: QLD: 64A
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing

...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.