In 1975, Mattar and colleagues analyzed the extent to which 300 pediatric patients received their prescribed medication regimen (from their parents) for the treatment of acute otitis media.¹ The results follow:

• 36% of the children received an insufficient number of doses
• 37% of the children did not receive a complete course of antibiotic because the parents unilaterally discontinued the medication early
• 20% of the children received the wrong dosage because of incorrect labeling, misunderstood instructions, and other unintentional errors
• 7% of the children received the medication exactly as prescribed

Commentary

While these blog posts usually deal with more contemporary research or events, the Mattar article is today’s focus because it is one of the first studies I happened to read that led to my realization of the remarkable extent and pervasiveness of noncompliance. In this case, thorough adherence to treatment is the aberration and noncompliance is the norm.

Footnotes

1. Mattar ME, Markello J, Yaffe SJ. Inadequacies in the pharmacologic management of ambulatory children. J Pediatr. 1975;87:137-41. [back]

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