Medication Adherence - A Key Element for Optimal Treatment Results

Around 50% of patients with chronic diseases have diffficulties taking their medication correctly, which is associated with serious health consequences. What role can e-health technology play? COST Action “ENABLE”, a 4-year project funded by the European Commission, aims to raise awareness and develop innovative solutions to support patients’ medication adherence and improve their health outcomes and Dins Šmits from Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) is a member of the project's steering committee. The project will meet in person for the first time in Malaga (Spain) during the first week of May.

Due to an ageing society, there is a steady increase in chronic diseases and many people need lifetime medication. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), only 50% of patients are able to follow physician recommendations in the case of long-term therapy. How can we increase this number? The answer to this question is multifaceted as ensuring medication adherence is everyone’s business: from patients to physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and patient caregivers.

The European Network to Advance Best practices & technoLogy on medication adherencE (ENABLE) is a 39-country network working to help patients understand and follow the treatment recommendations for taking their medication, leading to better responses to drug treatments for chronic illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, or asthma. 'We aim to raise awareness for, develop and implement innovative solutions to support medication adherence, a problem faced in healthcare systems across Europe', says Dr Job van Boven, chair of ENABLE. He reminds us that 'patients may forget to take their medicines, stop using them intentionally for different reasons, or may not understand the use of the medicine. And that’s why we need personalised and context-tailored solutions.

Professor of pharmacoepidemiology, Björn Wettermark, lead of the ENABLE Dissemination working group, highlights the importance of medication enhancing technologies such as smart pillboxes, digital inhalers, tracking devices, e-injection pens, and smartphone apps that have significant potential to support healthcare professionals and empower patients in detecting and managing non-adherence. While these novel eHealth tools have great potential, still the patient healthcare provider interaction remains of paramount importance to improve medication adherence. I do however feel that eHealth tools could enhance this interaction'.

Lots of activities are taking place during the project. This includes training schools where healthcare professionals from different countries meet to change experiences and learn more about adherence. During the pandemic, all activities have been digital, but the first week of May, the project participants will have the first in person meeting in Spain.

Learn more about medication adherence by following the ENABLE project

Contact

contactenableadherence[pnkts]eu

Project Coordinator: Job van Boven, j[pnkts]f[pnkts]m[pnkts]van[pnkts]bovenumcg[pnkts]nl

Science Communication Manager: Björn Wettermark, bjorn[pnkts]wettermarkfarmaci[pnkts]uu[pnkts]se

About the project: CA19132 –ENABLE: “European Network to Advance Best practices & technoLogy on medication adherencE” is a COST Action supported by Horizon 2020 Framework Program funded by European Union.