Compliance declines between clinic visits.
Adherence to prescribed drug dosing regimens declined substantially during the interval between clinic visits and drug level tests. Using microelectronic monitors to observe pill-taking habits, 20 patients averaged 88% compliance before and 86% compliance after the visit, but this dropped to 67% compliance a month later. These data indicate that spot drug levels do not represent long-term "steady-state" drug serum concentrations.
Cramer
J A
JA
Neurology Service, Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, West Haven, Conn. 06516.
Scheyer
R D
RD
Mattson
R H
RH
D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000097:blood; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004349:Drug Packaging / Q000379:methods; D001330:Electronic Data Processing; D006801:Humans; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D009819:Office Visits; D010349:Patient Compliance; D012640:Seizures / Q000188:drug therapy*
D000927:Anticonvulsants