ABSTRACT
Patient adherence with medical regimens is often inadequate (Gordis, 1976; Jay, Litt, & Durant, 1984; Kasl, 1975; Masur, 1981; Melnikow & Kiefe, 1994; Varni & Wallander, 1984) and is associated with poor clinical outcomes (The Coronary Drug Research Project Group, 1980; Korsch, Fine, & Negrete, 1978; Richardson, Shelton, Krailo, & Levine, 1990; Wall et al., 1995). Nonadherence with health care provider recommendations can take many forms including not taking all prescribed doses of medication, neglecting preventive measures, such as immunizations or breast cancer screening, as well as failing to change damaging behaviors, such as smoking or a high-fat diet. Nonadherence with therapy can be costly and risky to an individual’s health as well as expensive to society in terms of unnecessary health care costs (Smith, 1985).
