Working with the noncompliant patient

Remember

• Noncompliance with medical advice or treatment is common, with at least half of all patients being noncompliant at some stage of treatment.
• Compliance tends to be lower in conditions that require longer-term prophylactic treatment and where the consequences of treatment discontinuation are delayed.
• Medication noncompliance is an important factor in treatment outcomes for many medical conditions, and the increased morbidity and mortality rates are a significant public health problem in terms of human and economic costs.
• The rate of noncompliance with treatment for psychiatric disorders is probably no worse than in treatment for physical disorders.