Interventions to Improve Medication Adherence in Aged People with Chronic Disease – Systematic Review

Currently, demographic trends, at a global level, are characterized by an increase in the older age group. Associated to advanced age, older people are more prone to chronic diseases, and they are confronted with the need to adhere to an often complex medication regimen. Non-adherence has a negative impact at individual and global level. The purpose of this systematic review was answering the question “What are the nursing interventions able to improve in medication adherence in aged people with chronic disease?”. The search was conducted in PubMed (including MEDLINE), CINAHL, LILACS, SciELO and EMBASE, on January 2015, without time limit; the articles were selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. It was used the PICOS method for the critical analysis. The electronic search identified 9 articles meeting the inclusion criteria. Interventions to improve medication adherence among the elderly should be complex and adapted to the factors of non-adherence. Strategies to improve medication adherence in older adults include educational and behavioral approach. Nurses need to lead the way in researching interventions that can affect medication adherence in older people, working with the current generation to develop plans that meet their needs and using interventions that make sense to them.