Family Pediatric Adherence to Health Care Regimen

David Sackett, one of the early pioneers in adherence research, defined adherence as the degree to which a person's behavior corresponds with medical or health advice. This includes adherence to recommendations for general health promotion (e.g., obtaining vaccinations on schedule), adherence to regimens prescribed for treatment of acute conditions (e.g., antibiotics for otitis media, or ear infections) as well as adherence to the more challenging daily care tasks faced by children with chronic medical conditions. Poor adherence is common in the pediatric population and results in wasted medical expenditures and decreased quality of life for children and families. For children, the family context has a crucial influence on adherence. Caregivers administer medical care to younger children and play a major role in facilitating successful regimen ...