Non-adherence to medication and doctor-patient relationship: Evidence from a European survey.
OBJECTIVE
Studies on the determinants of non-adherence to medication have put emphasis in understanding the role of the doctor-patient relationship in individuals' decision to follow recommendations. Yet, evidence on general perceptions that individuals hold about doctors and their impact on their decision to non-adhere is lacking. This paper aims to explore the issue using data from the European Social Survey (ESS).


METHODS
The ESS was conducted in 2004/2005 and included 45,700 participants from 24 countries in Europe. A Heckman probit model with sample selection was used for the analysis.


RESULTS
The results show that perceptions about doctors constitute the model that better explains non-adherence to prescribed medication.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings confirm that general beliefs individuals have about the doctor-patient relationship impact significantly on their decision to non-adhere to prescribed medication. Key points were shown to be involvement in the decision making process, treating patients as equals and avoiding leaving unresolved issues when prescribing.
Stavropoulou
Charitini
C
School of Management, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK. c.stavropoulou@surrey.ac.uk
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003142:Communication; D003657:Decision Making; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055118:Medication Adherence / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010819:Physician's Role; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010820:Physicians; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014342:Truth Disclosure; D055815:Young Adult; D016903:Drug Monitoring