Non-adherence with medical regimens in heart failure is a significant challenge and serves as a major reason that favorable
outcomes associated with various therapies evaluated in clinical trials have not translated to the so-called real-world setting.
Non-adherence has complex influences and is clearly associated with poorer outcomes. The approaches that are used or have
been proposed to improve drug-taking behavior, such as in-hospital initiation of therapy, simplification of dosing regimens
through adoption of combination and long-acting formulations, and improvements in provider–patient communication, are reviewed.
Keywords Heart failure - Medication compliance - Adherence
Financial
Disclosures (disease state, past 5 years, any amount): Paul J. Hauptman, MD, reported that he has received research grants from Abbott
Laboratories, Novacardia, Acorn Cardiovascular, Orqis Medical, Novartis, Otsuka, GlaxoSmithKline, and the National Institutes
of Health. He was on the Steering Committee of the CASPER Trial, which is designed to examine the impact of a once-daily formulation
of carvedilol on compliance. He is/has been on the speaker’s bureau or has received honoraria in the past 5 years from GlaxoSmithKline,
King Pharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson, and is or has been a consultant for GlaxoSmithKline, Otsuka, BioControl
Medical, and Novacardia.