Shauna Bell

and 3 more

The aims of the current review were to identify, in the context of people with acquired communication disorders: factors which influence medication adherence, current interventions targeting medication adherence, and how medication adherence is currently measured. This study was conducted and reported in accordance with both PRISMA and SWiM guidelines. Two authors independently screened the results of a literature search, assessed risk of bias, and extracted relevant data. Eight studies were identified for inclusion. Four of the studies presented information relating to current interventions which target medication adherence for people with acquired communication disorders. Four of the studies investigated factors which influence medication adherence for people with acquired communication disorders. Seven of these eight studies outlined methods used for measuring medication adherence. The results of this review indicate that patient related factors are most associated with medication non-adherence in a population with acquired communication disorders, followed by socio-economic factors and medication-related factors. Despite the recognised importance of medication adherence, no gold standard of assessment or intervention currently exist for this population. Half of the included studies replaced patients with communication difficulties with caregiver proxies, thus reducing opportunities for patients to participate meaningfully in research. The term “acquired communication disorders” encompasses a range of conditions with diverse aetiologies, presentations, and needs, and future research should be tailored to specific patient groups most at risk of medication non-adherence, namely those with aphasia and cognitive-communication impairments. Patients should be empowered to participate in future research to ensure the literature accurately represents their lived experience.