Patient's perspectives of non-compliance with medication and treatment regimes: A qualitative analysis

Abstract

The importance of compliance as a concept among health care workers is reflected in the amount of research conducted relating to this topic. Various data base programmes such as Medline has revealed 9,718 articles on compliance, which includes 178 on medication and treatment compliance, all written within the last 5 years (1990-1995). The majority of research in this area has focussed on the subject of non-compliance from the health professionals' viewpoint, with few studies examining patients' perspectives ofnon-compliance. Within the authors' area of work (community nursing), non-compliance with medication and treatment regimes among patients seems to be a recurring problem. Personal experience indicates that little understanding of patients' views on compliance exists among the community health workers, doctors and nurses. Based on these shortcomings, and lack of reliable literature to satisfy the researchers' curiosity, the author has embarked on this particular research study. The aim of this study is to ascertain the reasons why some patients undermine their physicians' recommendations and do not follow the suggested medication or treatment regimes. The effects of non-compliancy by patients has ramifications not only on the health budget, but also on the patient-doctor relationship. From this study it is hoped that the important issues which patients percieve as influencing their decisions to 'non-comply' will be identified, in order that health professionals can effectively reevaluate their current practices in prescibing medication and treatment regimes.