Medication, in the clinical sense, refers to pharmaceutical agents used to treat, prevent, or manage disease, and to the behaviours surrounding their use, including prescribing, administration, storage, and patient adherence. Medication adherence, the extent to which patients take medicines as prescribed, is a centr…
Medication, in the clinical sense, refers to pharmaceutical agents used to treat, prevent, or manage disease, and to the behaviours surrounding their use, including prescribing, administration, storage, and patient adherence. Medication adherence, the extent to which patients take medicines as prescribed, is a central determinant of treatment effectiveness and quality of life across chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, leukaemia, and HIV, where antiretroviral adherence is shaped by psychosocial factors. Patterns of medication use vary widely: self-medication is common in some communities and among pregnant women, raising safety concerns, while structured medication plans and quality indicators support safer practice. Adherence and administration are influenced by family and caregiver involvement, as in the management of older adults with type-2 diabetes and the knowledge families hold about relatives' mental illness and treatment. The field also addresses the consequences of specific drug classes, such as the metabolic effects of antidepressant use, and emerging tools that integrate dosing and clinical data to support decisions, alongside the movement toward personalised and customised treatment. Research in this area assesses medication-taking behaviour and its determinants, the drivers and barriers to adherence, the safety of self-medication, and practical strategies to improve compliance and treatment outcomes.
12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 12 articles above have been cited 35 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Medication, linking to each citing work.