The World Health Organization defined medication adherence as ‘the extent to which a person’s behaviour in taking medication corresponds with agreed recommendations from a health care provider’ (WHO, Adherence to long-term therapies: evidence for action. 2003).

The aim of this SIG is to provide an interactive forum for anyone specifically interested in medication adherence. As such the SIG will provide its members with sources on medication adherence which are valuable, reliable and preferably freely available. Additionally, the SIG members consort and inform each other on the subject of medication adherence. 

The Medication Adherence SIG was founded during the 41st European Syposium on Clinical Pharmacy in Barcelona, Spain. The Medication Adherence SIG has been present at all ESCP activities ever since and invites all clinical pharmacists interested in this area of clinical pharmacy to actively participate.

Chair of SIG, elected October 2018: Bart Pouls, PhD student at the Sint Maartenskliniek Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

To contact the SIG Integrated Primary Care, use the contact form with SIG Integrated Primary Care in the object line.

The SIG-MA contributes to the annual symposium by providing Workshops1, presentations in the Hot Topic session2, supporting the Scientific Committee, networking with attendees, etc. The SIG-MA deals occasionally with “sophisticated” questions from members. These questions are mostly related to specific patient situations for which no straight forward information is available. The SIG-MA welcomes suggestions from its members to elaborate its role and contributions within ESCP and beyond.

List of workshops since October 2012:

• Integrating mobile applications in adherence consultation - Belfast, October 2018
• Improving Pharmaceutical Care for patients on anticoagulation: from prescription to medication use – Heidelberg, October 2017
• Medication Adherence, from theory to daily patient care – Basel, June 2016
• Identifying and improving adherence: a shared effort for patients and every pharmacist – Lisbon, October 2015
• Tailored communication in promoting medication intake behavior - Copenhagen, October 2014
• How adherent is my patient? Different methods to identify non-adherent patients – Prague, October 2013
• Exploring and discussing patient’s barriers for medication adherence – Barcelona, October 2012

Presentations during “Hot Topic” sessions:

• Barcelona, October 2012

The SIG Medicine Adherence strives to contribute to each symposium. The extent of this contribution can vary from workshops to lectures to sessions. Additionally we aim to host an international workshop every five years. The SIG-MA welcomes suggestions from its members to elaborate its role and contributions within ESCP and beyond.