title: Medication adherence in adolescents in current practice: community pharmacy staff's opinions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore pharmacy staff's perspectives regarding medication use behaviour in adolescent patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with 170 community pharmacy staff members.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Medication-related problems in adolescents had been experienced by 80 respondents; non-adherence was frequently mentioned (n = 73). An important reason for medication-related problems in adolescents not being recognised was that prescriptions are often collected by the parents (with or without the teenager). Solutions suggested by the interviewees to improve adolescents' medication use behaviour included (improving) counselling with emphasis on necessity/benefits of medication (n = 130) and more direct contact with adolescents instead of parent(s) (n = 77). Use of digital media for educational purposes or reminder services was suggested to support medication use (n = 67).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Almost half of pharmacy staff experienced problems related to medication use in adolescents. Pharmacy staff see a primary role for counselling on the benefits of therapy but foresee difficulties in obtaining direct contact with adolescents. Use of new media could be useful.
authors.affiliation: Utrecht Pharmacy Practice Network for Education and Research, Utrecht Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ellen S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Koster
authors.forename: Daphne
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Philbert
authors.forename: Nina A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Winters
authors.forename: Marcel L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bouvy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003157:Community Pharmacy Services; D003376:Counseling; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055118:Medication Adherence; D008875:Middle Aged; D010595:Pharmacists
keywords: adherence; adolescent; community pharmacy; medication use