Patient noncompliance: causes and solutions.

This essay examines the subject of patient noncompliance with prescribed medications or other health regimens and its possible causes, and discusses possible solutions. Noncompliance or nonadherence to prescribed medical regimens may have serious detrimental effects on the patient's health and quality of life, and may lead to further morbidity or mortality. Proposed solutions to the problem of noncompliance are many (Table 3). If aggressively pursued, they may help improve the health of individual patients and the general community.