Barriers and Unmet Educational Needs Regarding Implementation of Medication Adherence Management Across Europe: Insights from COST Action ENABLE

Background: Medication adherence is essential for the achievement of therapeutic goals. Yet, the World Health Organization estimates that 50% of patients are nonadherent to medication and this has been associated with 125 billion euros and 200,000 deaths in Europe annually.

Objective: This study aimed to unravel barriers and unmet training needs regarding medication adherence management across Europe.

Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey. The final survey contained 19 close-ended questions.

Participants: The survey content was informed by 140 global medication adherence experts from clinical, academic, governmental, and patient associations. The final survey targeted healthcare professionals (HCPs) across 39 European countries.

Main Measures: Our measures were barriers and unmet training needs for the management of medication adherence across Europe.

Key Results: In total, 2875 HCPs (pharmacists, 40%; physicians, 37%; nurses, 17%) from 37 countries participated. The largest barriers to adequate medication adherence management were lack of patient awareness (66%), lack of HCP time (44%), lack of electronic solutions (e.g., access to integrated databases and uniformity of data available) (42%), and lack of collaboration and communication between HCPs (41%). Almost all HCPs pointed out the need for educational training on medication adherence management.

Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of addressing medication adherence barriers at different levels, from patient awareness to health system technology and to fostering collaboration between HCPs. To optimize patient and economic outcomes from prescribed medication, prerequisites include adequate HCP training as well as further development of digital solutions and shared health data infrastructures across Europe.