Medication adherence in secondary prevention post-myocardial infarction.

Abstract

Nonadherence to cardiovascular medications is common and has been associated with adverse outcomes. Patient adherence to medications is complex, with multiple factors contributing to the development of nonadherence, and these factors likely evolve over time. Significant efforts have gone into identifying factors that impact patient adherence, including patient, physician, and social/environmental factors. To date, various efforts to improve medication adherence have demonstrated modest results. The most successful interventions have addressed multiple potential reasons for nonadherence, suggesting that an adaptive approach with interventions that are flexible and can address patient-specific needs is important. Future research should be aimed at the development of an adaptive set of tools to identify and address evolving patient barriers to adherence.