Table 1 Relevant terms/definitions used in medication-taking literature and sources
Term | Definition | References and comments |
|---|---|---|
Compliance | Defined as “the extent to which a person’s behaviour – taking medication, following a diet, and/or executing lifestyle changes—coincides with medical or health advice” | [22, 28]; some argue it suggests the patient has a passive role in following provider’s orders |
Adherence | Defined as “the extent to which a person’s behaviour – taking medication, following a diet, and/or executing lifestyle changes, corresponds with agreed recommendations from a health care provider” | [62] merged definition based on Haynes [63] and Rand [64]; preferred by some as they argue it suggests the patient is a more active partner in the decision-making |
Concordance | Defined as “a negotiated, shared agreement between clinician and patient concerning treatment regimens, outcomes, and behaviours; a more cooperative relationship than those based on issues of compliance” | [65, 66] Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain’s working Party on medicine-taking; relatively recent term introduced by [66] to replace compliance |
Other terms used to describe medication-taking: | Patient participation, acceptance, uptake, consumption | |