Timing of office visits can be a powerful tool to improve adherence in the treatment of dermatologic conditions.

Poor adherence to treatment is a significant problem throughout medicine and particularly in the treatment of dermatologic conditions with topical medications, which present unique barriers to adherence. We reviewed the literature to assess whether timing of office visits can be used to improve adherence. Studies examining adherence and office visits were identified using two search engines. PubMed was searched using the terms "medication adherence" OR "medication compliance" AND "visits." A Web of Science cited reference search was performed to identify articles referencing the paper "On white-coat effects and the electronic monitoring of compliance" by Alvan R. Feinstein, MD. Fifteen studies were identified, three of which were on dermatologic conditions. Thirteen studies found a positive correlation between adherence and office visits. Three of these studies demonstrated increased adherence with increased visit frequency. One study reported adherence was unaffected by office visits. Our review was limited in that none of the studies identified looked at the effect timing of office visits had on adherence in the long term. Strategic scheduling of office visits can be a valuable tool to improve adherence, particularly in the management of dermatologic conditions, and may help spare patients unnecessary exposure to more toxic systemic therapies.

Citation

Elizabeth Heaton, Michelle M Levender, Steven R Feldman. Timing of office visits can be a powerful tool to improve adherence in the treatment of dermatologic conditions. The Journal of dermatological treatment. 2013 Apr;24(2):82-8

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PMID: 23432428

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