| Objective: The purpose of this systematic review is to identify which interventions are the most effective at increasing medication adherence among adults with chronic illnesses. Design: Systematic Review. Methods: Electronic searches were conducted of the published literature from January 2005 to January 2015 using 5 databases, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, MEDLINE, CINAHL Plus with full text, and JAMA & Archives. Articles were included if they studied one or more interventions targeted at increasing medication adherence among adults, 18-45 years old, with chronic conditions. Main Outcome Measures: Medication adherence, at least one clinical outcome.;Results: Six interventions were identified with four showing increased medication adherence in the intervention groups. One study did not demonstrate a significant difference between the intervention and comparison group.;Conclusion: This analysis identified six interventions that were the most effective at increasing medication adherence among adults with chronic diseases. With the rise in chronic conditions, it is important to develop and evaluate interventions in order to improve the health outcomes of chronically ill adults. Interventions that include a counseling component and focus on patient-related factors are effective interventions.;Keywords: medication adherence, interventions, chronic diseases, chronic conditions. |
