Initial Medication Adherence - Review and Recommendations for Good Practices in Outcomes Research: An ISPOR Medication Adherence and Persistence Special Interest Group Report

Abstract

Background Positive associations between medication adherence and beneficial outcomes primarily come from studying filling/consumption behaviors after therapy initiation. Few studies have focused on what happens before initiation, the point from prescribing to dispensing of an initial prescription. Objective Our objective was to provide guidance and encourage high-quality research on the relationship between beneficial outcomes and initial medication adherence (IMA), the rate initially prescribed medication is dispensed. Methods Using generic adherence terms, an international research panel identified IMA publications from 1966 to 2014. Their data sources were classified as to whether the pr..