Expert insight into the education of healthcare professionals on medication adherence.

Aims: Medication non-adherence is a global health problem affecting patients with numerous medical conditions. Training healthcare professionals (HCPs) on managing the challenging issue of medication non-adherence requires an evidence-based approach. Therefore, we aimed to describe the perspectives and experiences of adherence experts on educating HCPs about medication adherence in order to guide the content and delivery of medication adherence education to HCPs.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted online, face-to-face and by phone. Interviews were video or audio recorded and professionally transcribed. Data was coded line by line into the preliminary coding framework and analysed using inductive thematic analysis.

Results: Fifteen adherence experts were interviewed between May 2022 and March 2023. Five major themes with subthemes were identified: enhancing awareness among HCPs, seeing life through the patient's lens, communicating to build empathy and rapport, having a structured approach to address individual patient behaviours, and delivering enriching and targeted training.

Conclusions: Adherence experts emphasized the impact HCPs can play by regularly addressing the pervasive issue of adherence in their clinical setting. HCPs can elicit behaviour change by understanding the patient's perspective, the complexity of adherence and communicating effectively. Structured approaches include using tools, frameworks and communication methods. Continuous training that is clinically relevant and builds on existing professional expertise is required to overcome HCPs' own barriers to behaviour change. The findings of this study guide the content and delivery of medication adherence education and training to HCPs.