Mobile Telephone Text Messaging for Medication Adherence in Chronic Disease

Abstract

Adherence is defined as the extent to which a patient correctly follows a prescribed therapy. Adherence is the medically preferred term because it reflects active involvement of the patient and a therapeutic alliance between the patient and his or her physician.¹ This term is in contrast to compliance, which reflects more unidirectional connotations.^1,2 Adherence to long-term therapies in developed countries is typically reported to be approximately 50% at 1 year after initiation of therapy, with worse rates in lower socioeconomic groups and in developing countries.^3,4 Poor adherence has been linked to successive hospitalizations, increased need for medical interventions, morbidity, and mortality.⁵ In addition, medication nonadherence results in increased health care cost, with estimates from North America of approximately $100 billion being spent annually and $2000 spent per patient per year in excess physician visits.⁶