Review: timing of office visits can be a powerful tool to improve adherence in the treatment of dermatologic conditions

BACKGROUND: Poor adherence to treatment is a significant problem throughout medicine and particularly in the treatment of dermatologic conditions with topical medications, which present unique barriers to adherence. PURPOSE: We reviewed the literature to assess whether timing of office visits can be used to improve adherence. METHODS: Studies examining adherence and office visits were identified using two search engines. PubMed was searched using the terms "medication adherence" OR "medication compliance" AND "visits." A Web of Science cited reference search was performed to identify articles referencing the paper "On white-coat effects and the electronic monitoring of compliance" by Alvan R. Feinstein, MD. RESULTS: Fifteen studies were identified, three of which were on dermatologic conditions. Thirteen studies found a positive correlation between adherence and office visits. Three of these studies demonstrated increased adherence with increased visit frequency. One study reported adherence was unaffected by office visits. LIMITATIONS: Our review was limited in that none of the studies identified looked at the effect timing of office visits had on adherence in the long term. CONCLUSIONS: Strategic scheduling of office visits can be a valuable tool to improve adherence, particularly in the management of dermatologic conditions, and may help spare patients unnecessary exposure to more toxic systemic therapies.