Educational and behavioral strategies for improving medication compliance in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

Compliance with regimens for chronic conditions such as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) is often poor, and the potential benefits of therapy are thus compromised. In this study a compliance intervention involving educational and behavioral strategies was shown effective in improving medication compliance for two of three patients with JRA. The intervention was introduced in a time-lagged fashion (multiple baseline design) with repeated measures of compliance. The strategies were less complex than other compliance interventions, such as token reinforcement strategies, and therefore would be more practical in pediatric outpatient settings.