Clinical Challenges of Adherence

The World Health Organization (WHO) define adherence to long term therapy as “the extent to which a person’s behaviour – taking medication, following a diet, and/or executing lifestyle changes, corresponds with the agreed recommendations from a health care provider.”¹

WHO places strong emphasis on the need to differentiate adherence from compliance. The main difference being that adherence requires the patient’s agreement to the recommendations, whereas compliance is the process of doing what is ordered. WHO believes that patients should be active partners with health professionals in their own care and that good communication between patient and health professional is a must for effective clinical practice.

In her presentation Kirsty discusses the prevalence of non-adherence and the challenges associated with this.

1. World Health Organization. Adherence to long-term therapies: evidence for action. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2003.

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• Kirsty Honeyford

  Lead Difficult Asthma Specialist Nurse and Regional Service Lead

  Read biography
  Kirsty Honeyford

  Lead Difficult Asthma Specialist Nurse and Regional Service Lead Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Northern Ireland

  Role and Location

  Kirsty Honeyford is the lead difficult asthma specialist nurse within Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and the Regional service lead for Northern Ireland.

  Education

  Kirsty qualified with a diploma in nursing studies at Queens University Belfast in 2002.  She went on to complete a BSc (Hons) degree in Respiratory Care obtaining a 1^st class.  She has also recently completed her non-medical prescribing qualification in 2021.

  Research

  Kirsty has been heavily involved in research, as part of the service, since taking up post in 2006. This includes, FeNO as a predictor tool for biologics and investigating glucocorticoid toxicity.

  Memberships

  She is the current chair of the severe asthma national network.

  Other information

  Kirsty Honeyford’s main interests lie within adherence, treatment and service development and improving patient care/experience within difficult asthma