• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.234-242
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• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the levels of knowledge and medication adherence to hormonal therapy (HT) and to identify the factors influencing medication adherence for patients with breast cancer. Methods: Data were collected from 136 patients undergoing adjuvant HT for breast cancer in 3 general hospitals from July 1 to August 14 in 2014 using self-report questionnaires. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, ANOVA, $Scheff{\grave{e}}$ test, and multiple regression. Results: The average of knowledge about HT was $5.15{\pm}2.22$ (Max 9), and that of medication adherence was $5.76{\pm}1.65$ (Max 8). Younger age, shorter duration of HT, more active participation in decision making for treatment, positive perception for impacts of HT, and stronger belief in cure were influencing factors on higher adherence level. Age, duration of HT, and perception on the impacts of hormonal therapy, and belief in cure explained 25.2% of the adherence. Conclusion: To improve the treatment adherence to hormonal therapy, patient education and involvement in decision making, and the tailored intervention for the patients with older age, and long treatment period of HT are needed. Additionally, the strategies for diminishing unintentional forgetting is necessary to be developed.

• Journal of mucopolysaccharidosis and rare diseases
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.19-22
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• 2015

In Growth Hormone (GH) therapy, suboptimal adherence is a common problem, reaching up to 82%, and there is a need for interventions to improve adherence and to maximize patients' growth potential eventually. Current studies have demonstrated the association between the rate of non-adherence and reduced height velocity. In order to maximize patients' potential to grow, an auto-injecting/recording device, such as $easypod^{TM}$, may help improve adherence and optimize the treatment effects of GH therapy. The use of $easypod^{TM}$ has contributed to high adherence rates: 87.5% and 93% in Bozzola et al.'s study and the $Easypod^{TM}$ Connect Observational study (ECOS), respectively. Improvement of adherence by $easypod^{TM}$ may lead to higher growth rates of patients receiving GH therapy. Additionally, patients' positive acceptability of $easypod^{TM}$ suggests $easypod^{TM}$ is a preferred device by patients for better adherence.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.697-708
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• 1996

Most efforts to improve tuberculosis treatment adherence target the patient and his or her behavior. This study examined the effects of behavioral modification training for these patients. Based on Bandura's behavioral principles of modeling, intervention strategies using a video program were devised to elicit specific patient target behaviors considered to improve patients' adherence to tuberculosis treatment regimens. A random assignment, two-group(experimental group and control group) research design including 81 subjects was used. The main outcomes measured were pill taking measured with the Medication Event Monitoring System(MEMS) Medication Cap, patients' self-efficacy, and their knowledge of tuberculosis. The findings are as follows : 1) There was a significant difference between the experimental group and the control group in patients' feelings of self-efficacy. That is, the patients who received the behavior modification program showed greater feeling of self-efficacy to initiate and change their behavior for the tuberculosis treatment regimen than the patients who did not receive the program(t=3.51, p=0.01). 2) There was a significant difference between the experimental group and the control group in patients' knowledge of tuberculosis. That is, the patients who received the behavior modification program showed higher level of knowledge of tuberculosis than the patients who did not receive the program(t=2.15, p=0.03) 3) There was a significant difference between the experimental group and the control group in patients' adherence to tuberculosis treatment regimens. That is, the patients who received the behavior modification program showed greater adherence to the treatment regimens than the patients who did not receive the program(t=5.11, p=0.00). The study findings provided useful insights into nursing practice, particularly in planning intervention strategies aimed at enhancing patients' adherence in tuberculosis that may also be relevant to other chronic diseases with patient adherence problems.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.21
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• pp.9225-9232
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• 2014

Ensuring adherence to chemotherapy is important to prevent disease progression, prolong survival and sustain good quality of life. Capecitabine is a complex chemotherapeutic agent with many side effects that might affect patient adherence to treatment. This cross sectional study aimed to determine adherence to capecitabine and its contributing factors among cancer outpatients in Malaysia. One hundred and thirteen patients on single regime capecitabine were recruited from Hospital Sultan Ismail and Hospital Kuala Lumpur from October 2013 to March 2014. Adherence was determined based on adherence score using validated Medication Compliance Questionnaire. Patient socio-demographics, disease, and treatment characteristics were obtained from medical records. Satisfaction score was measured using the validated Patient Satisfaction with Healthcare questionnaire. The mean adherence score was 96.1% (standard deviation: 3.29%). The significant contributing factors of adherence to capecitabine were Malay ethnicity [${\beta}=1.3$; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.21, 2.43; p value=0.020], being female [${\beta}=1.8$; 95%CI: 0.61, 2.99; p value=0.003]), satisfaction score [${\beta}=0.08$; 95%CI: 0.06, 1.46; p value=0.035], presence of nausea or vomiting [${\beta}=2.3$; 95%CI: 1.12, 3.48; p value <0.001] and other side effects [${\beta}=1.45$; 95%CI: 0.24, 2.65; p value=0.019]. Adherence to capecitabine was generally high in our local population. Attention should be given to non-Malay males and patients having nausea, vomiting or other side effects. Sufficient information, proactive assessment and appropriate management of side effects would improve patient satisfaction and thus create motivation to adhere to treatment plans.

• Korean Journal of Schizophrenia Research
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.51-57
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• 2020

Treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) has been defined as the persistence of positive symptoms despite two or more trials of antipsychotic medication of adequate dose and duration. TRS is a serious clinical problem and occurs in approximately 30% of patients with schizophrenia. It is important that patients who do not adequately respond to antipsychotics be reevaluated to exclude or address causes other than non-responsiveness to medication, that is, the possibility of pseudo-resistance. In particular, non-adherence to oral antipsychotic treatment should be monitored to rule out pseudo-resistant cases of TRS. Moreover, patients with TRS who take their medication as required may have subtherapeutic antipsychotic plasma levels, secondary to pharmacokinetic factors. In this paper, we review the concept and exclusion of pseudo-resistance, especially owing to non-adherence or pharmacokinetic factors, and present methods to enhance drug adherence.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.136-142
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• 2014

Background: This study is to research on how hypertension control is associated with adherence in newly diagnosed hypertension patients. Methods: The study is based on 255,916 patients who were diagnosed with hypertension in 2009 and didn't have any previous medical history of hypertension or associated complication for the past year using data collected by National Health Insurance Corporation. Newly diagnosed hypertension patients are divided into two group by visiting medical center numbers (more than 300 days was adherence group, if not non-adherence group). Patients are considered to have successfully controlled their hypertension based on blood pressure measured by health examination. Chi-square test and logistic regression, repeated measured analysis of variance was used to analyze. Results: The relations between adherence and hypertension control show that 1.12 times of patients in adherence group was able to control their hypertension. The additional analysis proves that adherence group are more decreased level of blood pressure than non-adherence group except for patients who are over 70. Comparison of the average of systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure between adherence and non-adherence groups shows that the blood pressure has been significantly among the adherence group. Conclusion: The study proves that constant treatment for hypertension could control the blood pressure and encourages patients to put more effort for persistent treatment. It also shows that hypertension treatment are more effective in younger patients than the elderly and strategies of approaching are different depending on age.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.62-69
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• 2023

Objective: Adherence is an important component in the treatment of various diseases, and poor adherence to antidepressants in patients with major depressive disorder is common. Non-adherence can be more prevalent in elderly patients with multiple morbidity and polypharmacy, resulting in negative treatment outcomes. The purpose of this study was to analyze adherence to antidepressants in Korean elderly patients with major depressive disorder. Method: A retrospective study was conducted using the Korean National Health Insurance claims database, and the subjects of this study were patients aged 65 or older who received at least one prescription of antidepressant monotherapy for the treatment of major depressive disorder between January 1, 2020 and June 30, 2020. Adherence was measured using the proportion of days covered at 6 months after the initial antidepressant prescription date. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with adherence. Results: A total of 416,766 patients were finally included in the study. Over half of patients were non-adherent (52.67%) to antidepressants. According to the multivariate logistic regression analysis, national health insurance or medical aid, taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, and having comorbidities were significantly associated with greater rates of adherence in the study subjects. The highest adherence rate was observed in patients taking vortioxetine. Conclusion: There was a considerable rate of non-adherence in Korean elderly patients with major depressive disorder. Health care professionals should try to improve adherence in elderly patients with major depressive disorder.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.65-72
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• 2014

Objectives : The objective of this study was to evaluate the treatment duration and adherence of osmotic-controlled release oral delivery system (OROS) methylphenidate for treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods : A total of 843 children with ADHD were recruited : 213 children (25.3%) who had previously taken medications for ADHD and 630 drug-na$\ddot{i}$ve children (74.7%) were recruited. The dosage was adjusted according to the clinician's judgment. The primary efficacy endpoint of this study was treatment retention rate, which was estimated at Week 12 and Week 20 using the Kaplan-Meier curve. The Swanson, Nolan and Pelham-IV (SNAP-IV), Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S), Clinical Global Impression-Improvement, and the side effect rating scale were measured at every visit. Remission rates were presented based on SNAP-IV and CGI-S, respectively. Results : The treatment retention rate at 12 weeks and at 20 weeks was 76.2% and 66.8%, respectively. Divided according to 6-8, 9-11, 12-14 and 15-18 years of age, younger children tended to show a statistically higher treatment retention rate (p=.02). Based on SNAP-IV and CGI scores, children with better response to medication showed tendencies of statistically higher treatment retention rate. The most common adverse events included loss of appetite (7.1%) and insomnia (3.3%). There was no serious adverse event related to the treatment, such as death. Conclusion : The use of OROS methylphenidate for treatment of ADHD was safe and tolerable for children. In this study, lower age and better treatment response showed a statistically significant relationship with higher treatment adherence. Boys showed a trend of high treatment adherence. The treatment adherence at 20 weeks was satisfactory, however, the treatment adherence after 20 weeks showed a sharp decrease. Therefore, treatment persistence for six months after the beginning of ADHD treatment is important. In addition, the positive role of psycho-education for children and parents is necessary for increasing treatment adherence.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.205-219
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• 2021

Purpose: This concept analysis was conducted to clarify 'parents' treatment adherence for an epileptic child or adolescent'. Methods: The analysis used a hybrid model comprising three phases: theoretical phase, fieldwork phase, and integration phase. In the theoretical phase, fifty studies were reviewed. Interviews with four parents of epileptic children or adolescents were conducted during the fieldwork phase. In the integration phase, the results derived from prior phases were synthesized and clarified. All phases were performed cyclically. Results: The concept, 'parents' treatment adherence for an epileptic child or adolescent' was defined as parents' voluntary and goal-directed behavior towards the epilepsy treatment for their children: a collaborative decision-making process with health-care providers, establishing a support system, adaptability to the treatment plans, and appraisals of the child's health condition. Conclusion: This achievement is thought to contribute to improving the accuracy and validity of the concept measurement. It has implications for additional research on how the concept 'treatment adherence' differs in diverse health problems and other population groups than parents of children and adolescents with epilepsy.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.121-126
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• 2014

Medication adherence is generally defined as the extent of voluntary cooperation of a patient in taking medicine as prescribed. Adherence to long-term treatment with chronic disease is essential for reducing disease comorbidity and mortality. However, medication non-adherence in chronic disease averages 50%. This study was conducted a genome-wide association study to identify the genetic basis of medication adherence. A total of 235 medication non-adherents and 1,067 medication adherents with hypertension or diabetes were used from the Korean Association Resource project data according to the self-reported treatment status of each chronic disease, respectively. We identified four single nucleotide polymorphisms with suggestive genome-wide association. The most significant single nucleotide polymorphism was rs6978712 (chromosome 7, $p=4.87{\times}10^{-7}$), which is located proximal to the GCC1 gene, which was previously implicated in decision-making capability in drug abusers. Two suggestive single nucleotide polymorphisms were in strong linkage disequilibrium ($r^2$ > 0.8) with rs6978712. Thus, in the aspect of decision-making in adherence behavior, the association between medication adherence and three loci proximal to the GCC1 gene seems worthy of further research. However, to overcome a few limitations in this study, defining the standardized phenotype criteria for self-reported adherence should be performed before replicating association studies.