• Gaye Hafez, Emma Aarnio, Sara Mucherino, Maria Kamusheva, Miriam Qvarnström, Ines Potočnjak, Indre Trečiokiene, Jovan Mihajlović, Marie Ekenberg, van BovenJob F MJFMDepartment of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Medication Adherence Expertise Center of the Northern Netherlands (MAECON), University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands. j.f.m.van.boven@umcg.nl., Francisca Leiva-Fernández, and European Network to Advance Best Practices Technology on Medication AdherencE (ENABLE).
• Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Altinbas University, Istanbul, Turkey.
• J Gen Intern Med. 2024 Nov 1; 39 (15): 291729262917-2926.

BackgroundMedication 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.ObjectiveThis study aimed to unravel barriers and unmet training needs regarding medication adherence management across Europe.DesignA cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey. The final survey contained 19 close-ended questions.ParticipantsThe 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 MeasuresOur measures were barriers and unmet training needs for the management of medication adherence across Europe.Key ResultsIn 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.ConclusionsThese 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.© 2024. The Author(s).

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