Adherence to drug treatment

Nearly half of all patients treated for chronic diseases do not take their medicines as prescribed. Non-compliance is estimated to cause almost 200 000 deaths in Europe each year, at a cost of EUR 80-125 billion. Research has shown many reasons for lack of adherence, both linked to the patient, healthcare, the disease and the drug. There are also many studies on its consequences as well as the effect of various interventions to improve adherence. In recent years, a variety of technological innovations (E-Health & Digital Therapeutics) have been introduced. They have great potential to support healthcare professionals and increase patient participation and involvement in their drug treatment. However, there is a lack of knowledge about how they are used and what effects they have.

Our research group is involved in the large European  research project  Cost  Enable, which promote knowledge and awareness of adherence and how digital technologies can contribute to better adherence and an increased quality of life. More information can be found on their website.

Within the framework of an ongoing PhD project, we study the following research questions:

I. Which drugs are used as first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes in primary care in Uppsala, do patients collect their medicines and are there differances according to age, gender and comorbidity?

II. What digital tools do primary care patients with diabetes use to manage their medications? Are there differences based on gender, age and socio-economics?

III. Which experiences and expectations do patients have of eHealth as a tool for better adherence to drug treatment in diabetes?

IV. What are the effects of digital tools to support adherence on health outcomes?

Want to know more? Contact Miriam Qvarnström or Marie Ekenberg