This report is based on an exhaustive review of the published literature on the definitions, measurements, epidemiology, economics and interventions applied to nine chronic conditions and risk factors.

How can we accept that we ought to stop smoking, follow a diet, exercise, or take medications? The goal of this book is to describe the mechanisms of patients’ adherence to long-term therapies, whose improvement, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), would be more beneficial than any biomedical progress. For example, approximately half of the patients do not regularly follow medical prescriptions, resulting in deleterious effects on people’s health and a strong impact on health expenditure. This book describes how our beliefs, desires, and emotions intervene in our choices concerning our health, by referring to concepts developed within the framework of the philosophy of mind. In particular, it tries to explain how we can choose between an immediate pleasure and a remote reward—preserving our health and our life. We postulate that such an “intertemporal” choice can be directed by a “principle of foresight” which leads us to give priority to the future. Just like patients’ non-adherence to prescribed medications, doctors often don’t always do what they should: They are non-adherent to good practice guidelines. We propose that what was recently de-scribed as “clinical inertia” could also represent a case of myopia: From time to time doctors fail to consider the long-term interests of their patient. Both patients’ non-adherence and doctors’ clinical inertia represent major barriers to the efficiency of care. However, it is also necessary to respect patients’ autonomy. The analysis of relationship between mind and care which is provided in this book sheds new light on the nature of the therapeutic alliance between doctor and patient, solving the dilemma between the ethical principles of beneficence and autonomy.

Against a global backdrop of problematic adherence to medical treatment, this volume addresses and provides practical solutions to the simple question: “Why don’t patients take treatments that could save their lives?” The Wiley handbook of Healthcare Treatment Engagement offers a guide to the theory, research and clinical practice of promoting patient engagement in healthcare treatment at individual, organizational and systems levels. The concept of treatment engagement, as explained within the text, promotes a broader view than the related concept of treatment adherence. Treatment engagement encompasses more readily the lifestyle factors which may impact healthcare outcomes as much as medication-taking, as well as practical, economic and cultural factors which may determine access to treatment. Over a span of 32 chapters, an international panel of expert authors address this far-reaching and fascinating field, describing a broad range of evidence-based approaches which stand to improve clinical services and treatment outcomes, as well as the experience of users of healthcare service and practitioners alike. This comprehensive volume adopts an interdisciplinary approach to offer an understanding of the factors governing our healthcare systems and the motivations and behaviors of patients, clinicians and organizations. Presented in a user-friendly format for quick reference, the text first supports the reader’s understanding by exploring background topics such as the considerable impact of sub-optimal treatment adherence on healthcare outcomes, before describing practical clinical approaches to promote engagement in treatment, including chapters referring to specific patient populations. The text recognizes the support which may be required throughout the depth of each healthcare organization to promote patient engagement, and in the final section of the book, describes approaches to inform the development of healthcare services with which patients will be more likely to seek to engage. This important book: Provides a comprehensive summary of practical approaches developed across a wide range of clinical settings, integrating research findings and clinical literature from a variety of disciplines Introduces and compliments existing approaches to improve communication in healthcare settings and promote patient choice in planning treatment Presents a range of proven clinical solutions that will appeal to those seeking to improve outcomes on a budget Written for health professionals from all disciplines of clinical practice, as well as service planners and policy makers, The Wiley Handbook of Healthcare Treatment Engagement is a comprehensive guide for individual practitioners and organizations alike.

Health psychology is a rapidly expanding discipline at the interface of psychology and clinical medicine. This text offers a comprehensive, accessible, one-stop resource for clinical psychologists, mental health professionals and specialists in health-related matters.

This title synthesizes the results from more than 50 years of empirical research, resulting in simple, powerful, and practical guidance for health professionals who want to know the most effective strategies for helping their clients to put long-term health-relevant behaviour changes into practice.

This new book summarizes the adherence literature for a number of specific health behaviors and populations. It provides a comprehensive source on the conceptualization, interventions, and measurement of treatment adherence and a synthesis of the research across demographic and chronic diseases. The text presents problems associated with treatment adherence; theoretical models that have commonly been used to understand, predict, and/or improve adherence; adherence with specific behaviors including exercise, diet, rehabilitation, medication, and psychological therapies; and strategies in enhancing adherence. Because chronic diseases involve similar behaviors, the handbook is organized by specific behaviors and special populations, and not by disease. Every chapter is sub-organized by specific diseases to ensure easy access for the readers and features a discussion of adherence across demographic and chronic conditions, a review of previous interventions directed at the particular behavior or population, questions and scoring algorithms for widely used measures of treatment adherence, a discussion of the clinical research, and where appropriate, policy implications. Patient Treatment Adherence addresses: practical recommendations to improve adherence; the impact of non-adherence including costs and health-related quality of life; methodological issues such as assessing cost-effectiveness; and the use of technological advances to improve adherence. Intended for health service professionals, health, clinical, social, and cognitive psychologists, primary care physicians, pharmacists, and policy-makers, this text is also an excellent resource for graduate courses on health psychology and public health.

The dramatic increase in chronic conditions, including noncommunicable diseases, mental disorders, and certain communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS demands creative action. The WHO created this document to alert decision-makers throughout the world about these important changes in global health, and to present health care solutions for managing this rising burden.

To maintain their own health and the health of their families and communities, consumers rely heavily on the health information that is available to them. This information is at the core of the partnerships that patients and their families forge with today's complex modern health systems. This information may be provided in a variety of forms â€" ranging from a discussion between a patient and a health care provider to a health promotion advertisement, a consent form, or one of many other forms of health communication common in our society. Yet millions of Americans cannot understand or act upon this information. To address this problem, the field of health literacy brings together research and practice from diverse fields including education, health services, and social and cultural sciences, and the many organizations whose actions can improve or impede health literacy. Health Literacy: Prescription to End Confusion examines the body of knowledge that applies to the field of health literacy, and recommends actions to promote a health literate society. By examining the extent of limited health literacy and the ways to improve it, we can improve the health of individuals and populations.