A Pilot Study Evaluating the Impact of an Adherence-promoting Intervention Among Nonadherent Youth With Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Purpose: This study examined the feasibility and impact of a multicomponent adherence intervention among youth with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) who presented to clinic with poor adherence.

Design And Methods: Medical providers referred twelve adolescents for the intervention, who participated in 4 weekly visits with a caregiver aimed at improving adherence.

Results: Intervention session attendance was 100% and the intervention was rated as feasible and acceptable. Mean adherence increased 12% from baseline to post-intervention (p<0.01), and 6% from baseline to 1-month follow-up (p<0.025). A generalized linear model revealed significantly greater adherence from baseline to post-intervention (p<0.001), and from baseline to 1-month follow-up (p<0.01). Logistic Regression revealed a nearly 2:1 odds ratio during post-intervention when compared to the Baseline period (p<0.001).

Conclusions: Findings suggest that the delivery of a multicompoment adherence intervention to poorly adherent youth with IBD can result in significant improvements in their adherence to oral medication.

Practice Implications: An intervention individually tailored to each family's unique adherence barriers is a feasible and promising treatment approach for improving medication adherence among nonadherent youth seen in clinical care.