2000 OPEN FORUM Abstracts
Age-Specific Compliance Issues
Thomas Kallstrom, RRT, FAARC Fairview Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio
Compliance is an essential component in the care of our patients. In the hospital the control of the patient is in the hands of the health care team. Once discharged, patients assume a significant responsibility for management of their disease. Their actions or inactions will dictate success or failure. It is essential that we understand what some of the barriers to compliance are so that we can be more attuned to the needs of our patients and ultimately to teach them with the goal of improving compliance.
There are barriers to compliance in all age brackets. Many of these issues are specifically related to the disease process. This lecture will explore some of these age and disease related issues specific to asthma and cystic fibrosis. An analysis of specific device and pharmacologic compliance studies will also be reviewed. Recommendations on how to reverse poor compliance will also be presented.