Owner compliance in veterinary practice:recommendations from a roundtable discussion

Many factors influence the success of a course of treatment prescribed by a veterinary surgeon. Even if the correct diagnosis is made and the most effective treatment prescribed, the therapeutic outcome may not be optimal if the owner does not administer the medication as prescribed. Some pet owners will give all the medication prescribed for their pets at the correct time intervals. Others may miss doses, give doses at the wrong time, and/or stop treatment prematurely. There is much in the human literature relevant to medication compliance (also termed adherence and occasionally concordance) but much less in the veterinary literature. There are various problems that arise if medication is not administered as prescribed — not the least of which is suboptimal response to treatment. It is therefore important that veterinarians are aware that owners may not follow their directions, the reasons why this may be the case and the potential consequences. By understanding more about these factors we can work to put in place strategies to improve compliance/adherence. The purpose of this roundtable was to discuss many of these aspects including what term is most appropriate to use in the veterinary context.