Facilitating Treatment Adherence in Pain Medicine
One of the most distressing features of a healthcare providers practice is that of patient nonadherence. Adherence refers to an active, voluntary, collaborative involvement of the patient in a mutually acceptable course of behavior to produce a desired preventative or therapeutic result. Most of the research in the area of medical adherence has been focused on medication adherence or increasing the likelihood that a patient will take their medications as prescribed by their physician. Adherence also has a broader application with regards to patient behaviors that can either support or undermine a positive response to prescribed therapies.In the field of pain medicine there are a number of evidence-based interventions that can improve an individual’s pain, mood and functionality, but this depends highly on the patient adhering to the prescribed treatment regimens.This book will provide a practically oriented guide to understanding the conceptual models of adherence and non-adherence and methods to improve adherence, to both pharmacotherapy and psychosocial pain management strategies. Topics include the use of biometrics to measure and promote adherence, employing novel psychosocial techniques to improve adherence to pain management and healthy lifestyle interventions and the ethical considerations of patient and clinician nonadherence.