A Randomised Controlled Trial to Test the Effectiveness of Planning Strategies to Improve Medication Adherence in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease.

Background: Low levels of adherence to medication prescribed to treat and manage chronic disease may lead to maladaptive health outcomes. Theory-based, easy-to-administer interventions that promote patients' effective self-regulation of their medication-taking behaviour are needed if adherence is to be maximised. We tested the effectiveness of an intervention adopting planning techniques to promote medication adherence.

Methods: Outpatients with cardiovascular disease (N = 71) were allocated to either an experimental condition, in which participants were asked to form implementation intentions and coping plans related to their treatment, or to a no-planning control condition, in which participants received no treatment. Patients also completed self-report measures of medication adherence, self-efficacy, and beliefs in medication necessity and concerns. Measures were administered at baseline and at 6-week follow-up.

Results: Results revealed no overall main effect for the intervention on medication adherence. Post-hoc moderator analyses revealed that the intervention was effective in patients with lower necessity beliefs compared to those with higher necessity beliefs.

Conclusion: While current findings have promise in demonstrating the conditional effects of planning interventions, there is a need to replicate these findings by manipulating planning and beliefs independently and testing their direct and interactive effects on medication adherence.