Medication Adherence Across the Life Span in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Implications and Recommendations for Nurses and Other Health Providers.

This article reviews the differences and similarities in medication adherence between adolescent and adult cohorts with inflammatory bowel disease. The review covers the rates of medication adherence, as well as predictors, consequences, and related interventions. Rates of adherence were more favorable among adolescents (65%-90%) than among adults (55%-70%). Major risk factors for poor adherence in adolescents include low medication knowledge, not establishing good medication habits initially, and peer victimization with low social support. For adults, nonadherence is more frequently unintentional (e.g., forgetting) and occurs more often in the context of a poor-quality patient-physician relationship, low medication knowledge, infrequent/missed appointments, busy lifestyle, and concurrent mental health concerns. Nonadherence to medication is associated with worsening of symptoms and risk of relapse in adults and adolescents. Nurses can play a significant role in influencing adherence to medication in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. In particular, nurses can help to impart knowledge on the importance of medication and identify factors that may help or hinder an individual in terms of adherence. Based on the current review, implications for practice and recommendations for nurses to promote medication adherence across both adolescent and adult cohorts are provided. Limitations of the currently available evidence and suggestions for future research are discussed.