Why patients skipping prescriptions undermines treatment effectiveness
Health psychologist Rob Horne explains that medicines only work when patients follow dosing instructions, and many choose not to.
In an interview, Rob Horne of University College London discusses how non-adherence erodes the benefits of even the most effective drugs. He highlights psychological factors that lead people to ignore prescribed regimens. Understanding these motives, he argues, can help clinicians design strategies to improve compliance. The conversation appears in a Nature Outlook supplement funded by Taiho Oncology, Inc., though editorial independence is maintained.
Why it matters
Non-adherence reduces drug efficacy, leading to poorer health outcomes and higher healthcare costs.
In this story
medication adherenceprescription compliancepsychology of healthtreatment effectivenesspatient behaviorclinical strategydrug deliveryhealth outcomes
