Approaches to improve medication adherence in teenagers with CML
| Physicians . | Patients . |
|---|---|
| Communicate the recommended schedule for TKI therapy (eg, once or twice daily, with or without food, on an empty stomach). | Incorporate taking medication into daily routines and take it at the same time each day (eg, before brushing teeth in the evening). |
| Have others (eg, pharmacists, nursing staff, medical assistants, subspecialists) reinforce the information. | Use a pillbox. In addition, keep a diary of doses taken or missed or mark a calendar. |
| Provide patient information handouts. | Use visual reminders (eg, notes on the refrigerator, on the mirror). |
| Keep clear documentation in the patient’s chart (eg, contracts, reevaluation policies). | Ask family member or close friend to remind you. |
| Discuss medication safety issues with the patient and the parents. | Set an alarm (on a clock, your watch, or mobile phone). |
| Renew the prescription to a fixed schedule (eg, monthly, every 3 mo). | Make a contract with your parents, with rewards for not forgetting to take the medication. |
| Be aware of the relatively high financial costs for the dose prescribed. When prescribing generics, do not switch for financial reasons more frequently than once a year. | Communicate with your physician about the doses you did not take and the reasons why you did not take them. |
| Electronic devices | |
| Pill box with medication timer and alarm. | |
| Pill box with sensors that alert family members through Bluetooth if a pill was not taken on time. | |
| Smartphone app that sends a reminder to take medication. | |
| Electronic microchip attached to the pill that acts as a pH sensor to gastric acid. Once the pill is swallowed, a signal is sent to a smartphone app for documentation. |
| Physicians . | Patients . |
|---|---|
| Communicate the recommended schedule for TKI therapy (eg, once or twice daily, with or without food, on an empty stomach). | Incorporate taking medication into daily routines and take it at the same time each day (eg, before brushing teeth in the evening). |
| Have others (eg, pharmacists, nursing staff, medical assistants, subspecialists) reinforce the information. | Use a pillbox. In addition, keep a diary of doses taken or missed or mark a calendar. |
| Provide patient information handouts. | Use visual reminders (eg, notes on the refrigerator, on the mirror). |
| Keep clear documentation in the patient’s chart (eg, contracts, reevaluation policies). | Ask family member or close friend to remind you. |
| Discuss medication safety issues with the patient and the parents. | Set an alarm (on a clock, your watch, or mobile phone). |
| Renew the prescription to a fixed schedule (eg, monthly, every 3 mo). | Make a contract with your parents, with rewards for not forgetting to take the medication. |
| Be aware of the relatively high financial costs for the dose prescribed. When prescribing generics, do not switch for financial reasons more frequently than once a year. | Communicate with your physician about the doses you did not take and the reasons why you did not take them. |
| Electronic devices | |
| Pill box with medication timer and alarm. | |
| Pill box with sensors that alert family members through Bluetooth if a pill was not taken on time. | |
| Smartphone app that sends a reminder to take medication. | |
| Electronic microchip attached to the pill that acts as a pH sensor to gastric acid. Once the pill is swallowed, a signal is sent to a smartphone app for documentation. |