Cardiovascular therapeutics
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Review
Adherence to therapies for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease: a focus on aspirin.
Suboptimal adherence to medications taken chronically for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD, e.g., aspirin) continues to burden the healthcare system despite the well-established benefits of prevention. We conducted a literature search to examine patient adherence to medications for secondary prevention of CVD-as evaluated by prescription refill data, electronic medication monitors, pill counts, and physiologic markers-to better identify an unmet need for measures to improve patient adherence to these therapies. ⋯ Given the burden of CVD to the community and the healthcare system, nonadherence to CVD-preventative medications such as aspirin remains a substantial area of unmet need and represents a key opportunity for the development of quality-of-care enhancement programs to improve health outcomes in this patient population.