title: Factors associated with the accuracy of physicians' predictions of patient adherence.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Physicians are inaccurate in predicting non-adherence in patients, a problem that interferes with physicians': (1) appropriate prescribing decisions and (2) effective prevention/intervention of non-adherence. The purpose of the current study is to investigate potential reasons for the poor accuracy of physicians' adherence-predictions and conditions under which their predictions may be more accurate.
  
  
  METHODS
  After the medical encounter, predictions of patient-adherence and other ratings from primary-care physicians (n=24) regarding patient-factors that may have influenced their predictions were collected. Patients (n=288) rated their agreement regarding the prescribed treatment after the encounter and reported adherence 1 month later.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Several factors were related to physicians' adherence-predictions, including physicians' perceptions of patient-agreement regarding treatment. However, some factors were not related to adherence and agreement-perceptions were inaccurate overall, potentially contributing to the poor accuracy of adherence-predictions. The degree to which physicians discussed treatment-specifics with the patient moderated agreement-perception accuracy but not adherence-prediction accuracy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Training providers to discuss certain treatment-specifics with patients may improve their ability to perceive patient-agreement regarding treatment and may directly improve patient-adherence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Discussing treatment-specifics with patients may directly improve adherence, but providers should not rely on these discussions to give them accurate estimates of the patients' likely adherence.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA. lphillips@ifh.rutgers.edu
authors.forename: L Alison
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: Elaine A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Leventhal
authors.forename: Howard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Leventhal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010465:Perception; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010820:Physicians; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult