Concordance and non-compliance: a psychological perspective

Abstract

Promoting concordance is a key element of all non-medical prescribing practise. However, more than half of medications prescribed are not taken properly or not taken at all. The reasons for a patient's non-compliance with prescribed medication is complex but the factors that promote compliance are becoming more clearly understood. This article considers what is now understood about the psychological impact prescribing medication has on patients and emphasising the need for prescribers to think about the role they adopt when prescribing. It recommends key communication skills that support the patient's psychological adjustment to change and acknowledges that the prescribing process often forms part of a larger process in which patients are adapting to significant life events. Concordance therefore hinges on skills like empathy and ensuring a prescribers approach to prescribing is truly person centred.