Rx compliance study: no improvement found

Prescription compliance by patients has not improved over the past three years, despite major educational efforts by health care providers and drug firms, according to research conducted by health care market research groups, Wilson Health Information and the J Scott Group, both Pennsylvania, USA-based.

A study of about 32,000 patients indicates that 35% did not complete their prescribed courses of medication, with "patient-perceived lack of need" the most frequent reason given (42%). Where patients did not follow directions but completed the treatment, "forgot to take" was the most common explanation (79%).