The Implications of Therapeutic Complexity on Adherence to Cardiovascular Medications

Abstract

Effective medications are central to the prevention and management of chronic diseases and their complications. Because many patients have multiple chronic conditions,¹ therapeutic regimens often involve multiple medications and frequent daily dosing. Such regimen complexity may undermine effective chronic disease management. For example, patients who are prescribed medications that must be taken multiple times per day are less likely to adhere to their treatments than patients with simpler dosing schedules.² Interventions that simplify treatment regimens by reducing dosing frequency³ or by switching patients to fixed-dose medication combinations⁴ result in substantial improvements in appropriate medication use.