title: Patient-health care provider relationship: how can it impact on APS (Hughes' syndrome) adherence to treatment?
abstract: Adherence to treatment is fundamental for its success. It comprises compliance combined with persistency and should be constantly reassessed. This is true in all medical situations. In antiphospholipid syndrome (or Hughes' syndrome), in addition to taking the medication at the planned time so that its effect on blood can be assessed and the dose adjusted if necessary, all patients must incorporate healthy habits with a treatment that is lifelong and will be influenced by dietary changes and the use of many other medications. Following a regime for the treatment to be effective, and to avoid serious complications, often creates the sensation of 'living on a tightrope' for both the patients and the health care providers. Patient education along with constant monitoring using proper communication settings and tools are certain to improve adherence and outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Centro de Imunoterapia de Ipanema - CITIPA, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil rogeralevy@gmail.com.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Hospital Universitário Pedro Ernesto, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Signorelli
mesh_terms: D016736:Antiphospholipid Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001241:Aspirin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D006495:Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D019934:International Normalized Ratio; D055118:Medication Adherence; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D006495:Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight; D001241:Aspirin
keywords: Treatment adherence; anticoagulation; antiphospholipid syndrome