Improve GME

Teaching residents what to do when patients don’t take their meds

Medication nonadherence is costly and deadly and frustrates even seasoned physicians. An online training covers how to tackle this common problem.

By
Marc Zarefsky , Contributing News Writer
| 4 Min Read

AMA News Wire

Teaching residents what to do when patients don’t take their meds

Jan 30, 2025

Millions of patients take their medications improperly or not at all, and this nonadherence takes a toll on society and the health care system. 

Every year in the U.S., there are about 125,000 deaths that could have been prevented if patients had been taking their medications correctly, according to data presented in a 19-minute module from the AMA. The course examines the problems of medication nonadherence and offers strategies to help medical residents better communicate with their patients and help them manage their medications. 

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This medication nonadherence leads to between $100 and $300 billion in avoidable health care costs annually, says the module, "Promoting Medication Adherence." It is just one of more than 50 courses in the AMA GME Competency Education Program that residents can access online through their residency program’s subscription, on their own schedules. The program also features six faculty development courses.

The AMA GME Competency Education Program delivers education to help institutions more easily meet Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education common program requirements. Modules cover five of the six topics—patient care, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, and system-based practice—within the core competency requirements. The sixth requirement, medical knowledge, is one that is typically addressed during clinical education.

Among the program’s experts are several who contributed to the AMA’s Health Systems Science textbook, which draws insights from faculty at medical schools that are part of the Association’s ChangeMedEd initiative. 

Current program subscribers have access to award-winning online education designed for residents on the go. It’s easy to use and saves time with simple tracking and reporting tools for administrators. Learn more

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The module explores the phenomenon of medication nonadherence. It also outlines the following strategies for improving medication adherence.

Getting patients back on track. The module is designed to help residents identify factors that lead to nonadherence and outline strategies to help patients follow their prescribed regimen.

Understanding the problem. The module clearly distinguishes between intentional and unintentional medication nonadherence and highlights the need for residents to identify why patients stop taking their medication as prescribed. Recognizing whether a patient didn't follow instructions because of concerns about side effects or instead stopped because symptoms were no longer present will go a long way in determining how to best encourage medication adherence.

Talking through possible solutions. Once residents recognize what is causing a patient to not follow the prescribed regimen, the next step is determining how best to talk through possible solutions. The module reviews various communication strategies and tips for residents to consider when approaching a discussion around adherence with a patient. For example, from avoiding jargon to using visuals, it is important to present information simply without overwhelming the patient.

Partnering with patients. Patients who are committed to and confident in their treatment plans are more likely to adhere, so once explanations for the treatment have been provided, it is up to the resident to confirm the patient understands and is devoted to the plan.

There are several indicators that can help residents improve adherence, and the module reviews those along with ways to personalize the approaches to effectively partnering with patients. Residents should feel empowered to ask questions and not assume patients automatically understand or feel comfortable with the treatment plans.

Dive deeper:

Residency program directors have access to dashboards and reports that provide a view of progress at the program and institution levels. In addition, customizable reports make it easy to track learner performance and demonstrate compliance for accreditation.

The AMA GME Competency Education Program covers topics including well-being, QI and patient safety, residents as teachers, navigating health systems, health equity, professionalism and faculty development. Schedule a meeting to discuss your organization’s needs.

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