The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America's (PhRMA) website includes a feature called "Ask About Adherence," a blog series spotlighting medical professionals who answer questions concerning medication adherence.
Dr. Helaine Resnick was a recent participant who answered questions about her diabetes research on treatment intensification and diabetes care.
Treatment intensification, Resnick explained, is a decision made by a caregiver to either increase the dosage of a medication a patient is already taking or to add a new medication.
"Although treatment intensification can also refer to lifestyle modifications and non-pharmacologic treatment modalities, the term is generally used in relation to drug treatment," she said. "In most cases, the decision to intensify treatment is made because a patient has not met established treatment goals."
Resnick pointed out that diabetes is one of the most commonly diagnosed chronic conditions in the U.S.
"Although there are variations among patients, exceptions to rules, disagreements about specific regimens under some circumstances and important gaps in knowledge, control of blood sugar is nevertheless recognized as yielding better clinical outcomes," she said.
In the blog, Resnick detailed the findings of her recent research.
"We found that physician perceptions about their patients’ life expectancy, diabetes self-management skills, educational attainment and health literacy influence how physicians establish glucose targets and whether they initiate insulin treatment," she said. "In addition, our review suggested that physician perceptions about patients’ medication adherence behaviors also influence these decisions."
