Review of training programs for medical practitioners to improve patient adherence

Physicians play an important role in improving patient adherence to medication and lifestyle modification. This is especially true for chronic conditions that require major lifestyle changes. The purpose of our study was to examine continuing medical education efforts that are directed to improve patient adherence. A librarian supervised literature review was conducted using Academic Search Premier, MasterFILE Premier, CINAHL, ERIC, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and PubMed database using the keywords of patient adherence and physician training. This extensive review identified 24 articles related to the training of medical students and health care practitioners. The review of published work showed that the vast majority of publications focused on developing better communication skills. The second most common topic was on increasing self-efficacy among physicians. Patient satisfaction and trust was assessed in only five of the twenty four research articles and only one study showed improvement in patient related outcomes. Published studies on training programs have not demonstrated improved patient satisfaction or patient adherence. In a follow-up analysis, we reviewed proceedings from national medical professional meetings over the past five years and very few presentations directly addressed patient adherence. Patient adherence to lifestyle and pharmaceutical recommendations is a primary factor in improved health outcomes. A paucity of published findings and a lack of continuing education opportunities indicate that insufficient attention has been directed towards better outcomes through better patient adherence. The lack of scientific evidence and published works on best practices for patient adherence showcases an important need within the field of public health.