Medical adherence or compliance (the less PC but more commonly used term) is the concept that patients don't follow through in filling prescriptions and taking their medications as recommended by the physician. When I first thought about this, I thought, "Who would ever do that?" After all, many drugs have double blind random controlled trials showing their effectiveness in reducing mortality and morbidity. After memorizing the pharmacokinetics and mechanisms of action and indications of each drug, I thought, "That's all I need to know." You figure out what the patient has, you prescribe the treatment, and you're done.
I have realized it's not all that easy. After being sick for the past few days, I realize that no one wants to take drugs. There are lots of reasons, most I probably haven't even fathomed. However, I didn't want to medicate (even just over-the-counter) for several reasons. It's an admission that you're sick. It's inconvenient. There are side-effects. Now, I know I will be fine whether or not I take NSAIDs. And I would assume that if I had something life threatening that could be cured with medication, then I would comply. But I can already see that it is not as easy as I originally assumed.
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In ancient Greece, the asclepion was a healing temple dedicated to Asclepius, the God of Medicine. Asclepius learned the art of surgery from the centaur Chiron and had the ability to raise the dead. The Rod of Asclepius is a roughhewn branch entwined with a single serpent.
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Hi! I am Craig Chen, a third year resident physician in anesthesiology at Stanford Hospitals and Clinics. I went to medical school at the University of California, San Francisco. Prior to medical school, I studied philosophy and biology at Stanford University, along with a minor in creative writing.
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