Getting patients to take their medicine

US patients who fail to take their medications as prescribed exact a staggering economic and social cost. A McKinsey study of people with hypertension (high blood pressure) suggests that a better understanding of the attitudes of patients could improve programs designed to increase their adherence to treatment regimens - an outcome that would save both lives and money. Creating and implementing these programs will require the combined efforts of physicians, patients, pharmaceutical companies/payers, and other health care stakeholders. This explores five themes: 1. the patients' level of involvement and perceived control over their health, 2. their knowledge of hypertension and its treatment, 3. their level of concern about the disease, 4. their beliefs about the safety and efficacy of medications, and 5. the quality of their interactions with physicians. In addition, the survey explored the patients' receptiveness to interventions that might influence their degree of adherence.