What can we achieve by implementing a compliance-improvement program?

Abstract

Efforts to improve compliance and facilitate other aspects of relapse-prevention strategies can have a profound impact on the lives of millions of people around the world as well as conserving precious health-care dollars. Simultaneous efforts to educate patients and families on the nature of the disease, its course and optimum treatment, together with efforts to educate physicians and other health-care professionals on the indications, benefits and risks of long-term treatment, are critical for improving the current state of affairs. In addition, it is imperative to educate the public at large and particularly those health-care administrators and public servants who control or influence the allocation of the resources needed.