Introduction
All chronic or temporary illnesses are easily controlled when one follows the prescribed medications as directed. Failure to follow instructions results in medical non-compliance; hence, the illness persists or becomes more severe. In the contemporary world, clients are forced or voluntarily choose to avoid taking the required drugs. Clients occasionally practice medication nonadherence due to several underlying individual and societal factors, which can be countered with a counselor’s help and specific techniques. Medical adherence contributes to improved health outcomes, and healthcare systems should evolve to emphasize its significance.
Reasons and Systemic Barriers
High Price
Clients engage in medication nonadherence for several reasons. For one, patients may fear the resultant side effects likely to be experienced after taking the drugs due to previous encounters (Coghill et al., 2021). When the price of the required drugs is high, this may limit some clients’ ability to acquire them. On many occasions, individuals are prescribed a large dosage, which may cause them to be reluctant to buy the prescription. Additionally, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can affect medication compliance as individuals with this health problem often experience poor time management, regulation, and working memory, which are vital in facilitating medication adherence (ADDitude, 2023).
Lack of Knowledge and Barriers to Access
Non-observance may happen when the patient fails to acknowledge the need or importance of the drugs. Patients’ ability to follow through with their dosage is sometimes affected by the policies, practices, and procedures related to medication.
Ellis et al. (2021) argued that some clients receive unequal drug access, such that some are excluded due to inadequate communication from the healthcare provider. Subsequently, this may adversely affect the patient’s ability to adhere to the drugs prescribed or get the required medications to treat or prevent a particular illness. Furthermore, they prevent drug conformity, especially among people of color, as they get discriminated against (Ellis et al., 2021). Lowering funding for research related to specific medications or poor service provision concerning overall health care negatively impacts medical adherence.
Cultural Factor
Culture is another critical factor that plays a significant role in a patient’s medication adherence. Fan et al. (2022) provided an example of overreliance on traditional remedies to cure specific illnesses such as asthma. Most of those who fully embrace community traditions believe that most sicknesses can be healed through sacrifice, hence viewing modern medication as inappropriate or harmful. Self-management is essential in curing and preventing many chronic and occasional health conditions (Brain and Behaviour Research Foundation, 2016). Medication beliefs profoundly affect adherence due to varying beliefs on the necessity of a drug and the concern of taking some medications daily.
Counseling Techniques
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Medical care providers often use counseling techniques to help clients comply with their medication taking. Fan et al. (2022) cited cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and person-centered therapy as potentially improving conformity. CBT particularly enables the caregiver or counselor to understand the client’s thoughts about the illness they are suffering from and the medication required(Coghill et al., 2021).
Person-Centered Approach
On the other hand, the person-centered approach focuses on the client and enables the counselor to support and guide the patient in making the right decisions (Ellis et al., 2021). Actively engaging patients in the decision-making process supports medication adherence since the clients understand the medication’s effect on their health and overall well-being.
Limitations
Despite the effectiveness of CBT and person-centered therapy, some approaches can result in non-compliance as they are ineffective, such as the three prime questions and auxiliary labels. Fan et al. (2022) highlighted that the first tenet adopts three specific questions to assess the client’s understanding of the relevance of their illness and medication. The feedback likely to be given from the three given questions may be inadequate to help prevent nonadherence or understand the cause of non-compliance. Additionally, the viability of the prescription drug warning label is questionable for improving medical conformity (Fan et al., 2022). Most clients may fail to follow or read the directions and information regarding drug use.
Reflection
Counselors should fully understand a drug’s functions before giving any guidance. The prescriber has to provide transparent information about the given drugs, thus helping improve their conformity (Sinacola et al., 2020). For example, scheduled charts and medication calendars can be issued to show how and when the drugs should be taken (Ellis et al., 2021). The detailed written data includes information on how long, why, how, and what will be addressed, thus helping the counselor know where to start while providing guidance. Nonetheless, medical adherence relies on the patient’s decision regarding the usefulness of the drugs prescribed.
As a client who is unsure and has doubts about the treatment of a health concern such as ADHD, I would like to be treated in a way that the counselor is free from criticism. Typically, the counselor should ask questions, listen to feedback, and assess the information before advising. These three steps are vital in promoting adherence to skeptical clients as they are directed toward correct decision-making and assist in adopting change.
Conclusion
Medication non-conformity is influenced by many factors within the individual and the community. Poverty, fear, cultural practices, and systematic barriers largely contribute to medication nonadherence. Institutional stigma involving government and private policies falls under systemic issues.
Counselors can use CBT and person-centered therapy tenets to promote compliance. These techniques ensure that the patient’s thoughts are challenged as they are guided toward logical thinking. In promoting conformity, the prescriber needs to provide adequate information to the counselor on how the drugs are used, their side effects, and why they are needed.
References
ADDitude. (2023). ADHD news & research for professionals. ADDitude. Web.
Brain and Behaviour. (2016). Frequently asked questions about attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Brain and Behavior Research Foundation. Web.
Coghill, D., Banaschewski, T., Cortese, S., Asherson, P., Brandeis, D., Buitelaar, J., Daley, D., Danckaerts, M., Dittmann, R.W., Doepfner, M., & Ferrin, M. (2021). The management of ADHD in children and adolescents: Bringing evidence to the clinic: Perspective from the European ADHD Guidelines Group (EAGG). European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 1-25. Web.
Ellis, L. A., Blakely, B., Hazell, P., Woolfenden, S., Hiscock, H., Sarkozy, V., Gould, B., Hibbert, P. D., Arnolda, G., Ting, H. P., Wiles, L. K., Molloy, C. J., Churruca, K., Warwick, M., & Braithwaite, J. (2021). Guideline adherence in the management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children: An audit of selected medical records in three Australian states. Plos One, 16(2), 1–16. Web.
Fan, X., Ma, Y., Cai, J., Zhu, G., Gao, W., Zhang, Y., Lin, N., Rao, Y., Mao, S., Li, R., & Yang, R. (2022). Do parents of children with ADHD know the disease? Results from a cross-sectional survey in Zhejiang, China. Children, 9(11), 1–12. Web.
Sinacola, R. S., Peters-Strickland, T., & Wyner, J. (2020). Basic psychopharmacology for mental health professionals (3rd ed.), Pearson, 90–208.