Whats the most reliable way of finding out if my patients/ clients are adhering?
The accurate measurement of adherence is difficult. Although electronic devices, for use with medications and peak flow meters, do exist these are unlikely to be of practical use in the clinical setting. However studies show that patient admission of poor adherence is believable. Efforts to normalise poor adherence, the use of open ended questions and an information rich questioning style are more likely to allow people to admit less than ideal adherence. This can then be a starting point for identifying barriers and developing strategies to improve adherence.
