A pill that records when it's taken (or not taken).
Strategies to aid adherence before the trial or for those in the usual care arm included the use of pill dispensers, record keeping and support from family members.
Yes, it's rising health costs and people taking pills in record numbers.
At each refill visit, pharmacy staff dispensed pills and recorded the date.
Adherence was also expressed as the number of pill-intakes recorded on a self-reporting forms designed to reflect the intended schedule and timing of treatment.
On non-training days they confirmed intake of pills and recorded muscle soreness, and if present, any symptoms of injuries/illness/sickness. Soreness and symptoms of injuries/illness/sickness were rated on a scale from 0 10, where 0 is no soreness/symptoms and 10 is extreme soreness and severe symptoms.
The experts recommend that, if possible, clinicians also use more objective measures (e.g., pill counts, pharmacy records, and, when appropriate, serum levels such as are used for lithium).
Data are typically obtained from patient interviews, self-reported surveys, pill counts, medical records or claims databases.
Several different methods are used to measure adherence, including self-reports, pill counts, pharmacy records, plasma drug levels and electronic monitoring.
In Uganda, at all HIV clinic visits, the attending Health care provider assesses adherence to ART by pill counts and records appropriately whether "GOOD", "FAIR" or "POOR adherence on the HIV care/ART card.
