Standardizing Terminology and Definitions of Medication Adherence and Persistence in Research Employing Electronic Databases

Key Points

• Standardize conceptual definitions and terminology for medication adherence and persistence when utilizing electronic prescription and dispensing databases.
• Conceptual evaluation of adherence and persistence definitions applied to electronic health and dispensing records.
• Standardization of adherence and persistence terms establishes consistent measurement across electronic healthcare databases.
• Clear definitions improve the accuracy and synthesis of future comparative effectiveness research and meta-analyses.