3.2.2—Measuring non-adherence

3.2.2 Measuring non-adherence.

• subjective measures including clinical interviews and semi-structured interviews, including a study, e.g. Riekert and Drotar (1999).
• objective measures focusing on pill counting and medication dispensers, including a study, e.g. Chung and Naya (2000).
• biological measures including blood and urine samples.
• Relevant issues and debates and methodology for this topic include: application to everyday life, idiographic versus nomothetic, quantitative and qualitative data, validity, reliability.

This matters because —measuring non-adherence determines what can be inferred or chosen; begin with the stated conditions and keep the conclusion tied to the evidence.

Example: apply —measuring non-adherence to one small, clearly defined case, show the key step or comparison, and explain the result in words.

Boundary: —Measuring non-adherence is not a universal recommendation. Check the syllabus scope, assumptions, units and the limits of the evidence before generalising.