Medication adherence terminology - the first consensual translation using the Delphi method.

BACKGROUND: The terminology of adherence (or compliance) describing the patients medication taking behavior is often used inconsistently and fragmented in the literature. Therefore, the English original of so-called ABC Taxonomy was developed to classify and unify the terminology. The aim of this paper was to establish the first consensual translation of Czech terminology dealing with the issue of medication taking behavior using Delphi method. METHODS: In the period from February to May 2021, a three-round anonymous online Delphi questionnaire survey was conducted. The questionnaire contained items for translations of seven terms and their definitions based on the ABC Taxonomy, while the resulting consensus was established by a predefined degree of agreement of the respondents. RESULTS: Out of 106 contacted panelists representing different healthcare professions, 46 (43.4%) answered in the first round. Sufficient consensus ( 85%) was reached for the translation of two definitions. In the second round, 32 respondents managed to establish a consensus (> 75%) of one term and four definitions and 24 respondents in the third round established a mild (> 50%) to strong (> 95%) consensus for all remaining terms and definitions. The set of terms related to medication taking for the Czech language was as follows: adherence k léčbě, zahájení léčby, zavedení léčby, přerušení léčby, setrvání na léčbě, management adherence and obory související s adherencí. CONCLUSION: The consensual translations of all Czech terms and definitions related to medication adherence can contribute to greater harmonization and comparability of scientific papers as well as to enhance the communication between scientific and clinical community. However, this consensus needs to be confirmed by a larger number of experts dealing with adherence issue, including the involvement of professional societies.

Review of Czech literature focused on terminology of medication adherence.

BACKGROUND: Medication taking terminology is often used incorrectly or inconsistently in the world literature and the meaning of the terms is interchanged. The aim of the work was to map the Czech literature and find out whether Czech authors use terminology related to medication adherence and whether they are consistent in defining it. METHODS: Based on the methodological instructions for the translation of the so-called ABC Taxonomy introduced by International Society for Medication Adherence (ESPACOMP), a search of Czech literature published until September 22nd, 2021 in the databases ProLékaře.cz, BMČ, PubMed, and Solen was prepared. Morphological variants of keywords were used for the search: compliance, adherence, initiation, implementation, discontinuation, persistence, concordance. RESULTS: A total of 125 Czech publications from 1998 to 2021 were identified, of which 79 defined specific terms. These included: adherence, persistence, compliance, concordance; the terms for compliance and adherence were interchanged in 14 publications. Publications focused on the treatment of specific diseases were the most common. Only five sources dealt with the issue of medication adherence as a theme without relation to a specific nosological unit. CONCLUSION: Inconsistency in the use of terms related to medication adherence has proven to be a very common phenomenon in the Czech literature. It is, therefore, necessary to establish a consensus on this terminology in order to unify Czech literature.