Barriers to Oral Medication Adherence for Adolescents with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Objective To identify family-reported, adherence-related barriers for adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and examine their relationship to 6-MP/azathioprine and 5-ASA medication adherence. Methods Participants included 74 adolescents, aged 13-17 years, diagnosed with IBD and their caregivers. Adolescents and caregivers jointly completed a measure of barriers to medication adherence. Adherence to medication was measured by family-report, pill-count, and serum assay. Results Families endorsed one to seven total barriers to medication adherence. The most commonly reported barriers included forgetting, being away from home, and interference with an activity. Neither demographic nor disease severity variables were related to the total number of reported barriers. Fewer total reported barriers was related to better adherence by adolescent and maternal report. Conclusion Most families experience at least one barrier to treatment adherence. Effective problem-solving around these barriers and its integration into future treatment protocols may help improve medication adherence in the pediatric IBD population.