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Methodological Issues in the Assessment of Diabetes Treatment Adherence

  • Psychosocial Aspects (Korey Hood, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Improving treatment adherence in patients with diabetes remains an important objective of behavioral science research. However, progress is often limited by the heterogeneity in methods used to measure treatment adherence and difficulties in generalizing across methodologies. Various measurement methods are often used with little attention paid to questions regarding validity. Doubts about validity of adherence measurement often lead investigators to measure distal clinical outcomes instead, such as glycemic control, resulting in a loss of information. This article provides an overview of the literature on diabetes medication adherence, with a focus on measurement issues. We also consider work conducted in other chronic illnesses, particularly HIV/AIDS, that may have value in guiding future directions of diabetes medication adherence research. We highlight the need for focused investigation on how characteristics of self-report methodologies affect the validity of patient responses and conclude with practical recommendations based on the current state of the science.

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Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

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Acknowledgment

The effort of Dr. Gonzalez was partially supported by Grant DK 020541 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).

Disclosure

No potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article were reported.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University, New York, NY, USA

    Jeffrey S. Gonzalez & Havah E. Schneider

  2. Einstein Diabetes Research Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Rousso Building, Bronx, New York, NY, 10461, USA

    Jeffrey S. Gonzalez

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  1. Jeffrey S. Gonzalez
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  2. Havah E. Schneider
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Correspondence to Jeffrey S. Gonzalez.

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Gonzalez, J.S., Schneider, H.E. Methodological Issues in the Assessment of Diabetes Treatment Adherence. Curr Diab Rep 11, 472–479 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11892-011-0229-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11892-011-0229-4

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