Patients with rheumatoid arthritis at high risk for noncompliance with salicylate treatment regimens.

Recent studies indicate the adherence of many patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to their treatment regimens is poor. Management of this problem depends on identification of noncompliant patients, followed by interventions to increase their level of adherence. In this study, 63 patients with RA receiving salicylate drugs completed a questionnaire during an outpatient visit. The questionnaire contained items believed to be predictive of future compliance, including patient self-predictions regarding future compliance, ratings of behavior in similar situations and barriers to compliance, such as ease of transportation to the clinic. Compliance was estimated via a salicylate assay that was taken during a subsequent outpatient appointment. Multivariate analyses of our data revealed that significant predictions could be made regarding future compliance, with 75% of the noncompliant patients correctly identified. Variables contributing significantly included behavioral self-predictions and a measure of current behavior in similar situations, as assessed by a salicylate assay that was collected during the 1st outpatient visit.