Enhancing patient compliance: A guide for nurses: To increase their patients' compliance with health recommendations, nurses need a framework

Abstract

The cases studied demonstrated that an interactive patient education approach, incorporating many of the factors that influence compliance, is successful in influencing patients to follow health care advice. This approach requires a consistent, concerned, nonjudgmental, supportive relationship with the patient. Assessing each area of health behavior the patient is being asked to change, and the effects of these changes, is an essential first step. Self-care deficits, such as low self-esteem and denial, are obstacles to compliance and thus require nursing intervention. Nursing expertise in providing specific individualized information and a step-by-step plan with ample reenforcement and support is critical. Behavioral strategies are helpful for those who are unable to change with information alone. Finally, long-term nursing follow-up is essential for patient compliance. Increased compliance will save health care dollars, and nurses facilitating this are a valuable asset. Hospital nurses, home health nurses, clinic nurses, and nurses practicing in advanced practice--such as clinical specialists and nurse practitioners--would be ideal to facilitate long-term follow-up. Some impact can be made by nurses no matter what the setting.