The South African Depression and Anxiety Group and government hospital partners: Addressing the challenge of poor adherence in psychiatry.

Abstract

The Helen Joseph Hospital, a government regional hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa, became aware of patient non-adherence issues at their specialist psychiatric outpatient department. In partnership with the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG), Africa's largest support network and advocacy group for people affected by mental health problems, and sponsored by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, they aimed to address the issue of non-adherence by developing and implementing a Reminder and Support Adherence Programme (RSAP). By providing a comprehensive service that regularly reminds patients to take their medication, attend their clinic appointments, offers free health information and psychosocial support, this has allowed many patients to benefit from the programme's ability to address the range of problems related to non-adherence.