In our Evidence for Change series, we provide a brief overview of key behavioral science research that Atlantis Health applies in supporting patients living with long-term conditions to achieve optimal health outcomes and Change for Good.
"Changing medication-related beliefs: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials" Sheils, E., Tillett, W., James, D., Brown, S., Dack, C., Family, H., & Chapman, S. C. E. (2024). Health Psychology, 43(3), 155-170.
Challenge: Beliefs about medications serve as the cornerstone of adherence, shaping patient behavior and ultimately the success of therapeutic interventions.
With significant treatment advances in many long-term conditions, uncovering the key ingredients in addressing beliefs about medicines is critical to designing targeted patient support for taking treatments as prescribed.
This 2024 paper summarizes the evidence on the effectiveness of behavior change techniques in modifying medication-related beliefs through systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Behavior change techniques are defined here as the smallest component with the potential for behavior change that is replicable and observable.
The review analyzed 56 randomized controlled trials in physical and/or mental health conditions. It spanned four continents, 61 interventions, and 251 behavior change techniques.
The authors found a small-to-medium effect of the interventions on addressing beliefs relating to the perceived need for the medication and beliefs relating to concern or worry about the medication, and the effects were found to be larger in studies that reported improved adherence.
Across all the studies included and behavior change techniques identified, interventions that employed certain behavior change techniques were found to significantly increase necessity beliefs and reduce concerns.
Fourteen behavior change techniques were associated with significant increases in beliefs about need or benefit.
Of these, four were also associated with significant reduction in beliefs relating to worry or concern.
Importantly, the largest effects were found in interventions that included:
This review highlights the importance of designing support solutions for patients that not only addresses practical barriers but more importantly, targets the medication beliefs that influence whether patients adhere to their treatment as prescribed.
BCTs can be operationalized in different ways which is advantageous given the range in healthcare resources throughout the world and the variability in patient preferences.
Overall, this review shows the effectiveness of behavior change techniques in supporting adherence through addressing medication-related beliefs.
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