Barriers to Medication Adherence in Children, Adolescents, and Young
Adults Prescribed Anticoagulation
Abstract
Pediatric and adolescent and young adult (AYA) thromboembolism is
treated with anticoagulation. While anticoagulation non-adherence in
adults has been linked to increased morbidity and mortality, much is
unknown concerning medication adherence in pediatric and AYA
populations. The aims of this study were to describe barriers to
adherence in anticoagulated pediatric and AYA outpatients and to explore
the relationship between barriers and self-reported adherence. Nearly
75% of patients and caregivers reported barriers to anticoagulation
adherence, and a greater number of reported barriers was associated with
lower adherence (rpb = 0.48, p = .01). Limitations, clinical
implications, and future directions are discussed.