Session 3: Discussant

Rebecca W. Killon, MA, says addressing adherence of diabetes medication from the patient perspective can be very different from that of a physician. “A lot of times when I go and I speak to people and I'm talking with physicians and people in the industry they say oh you're really on top of this,” Ms Killon said. “I have that profile where I'm highly educated. I wish all my patients were like you. I'm like oh no you don't; I'm a nightmare. I am very difficult to treat. Understanding is one thing. Adhering is another.”

Qualifying adherence is not just asking if a patient is taking their medications or telling them to stick to their regimen, it’s much more complex. Physicians need to be cautious their goals align with patient lifestyles. As well, not all diabetes types are the same; Ms Killon argues treatment for diabetics must be as individualized as each patient is.

“So in terms of increasing adherence goals, how do we get to these goals? What can we do? Here are my thoughts, as meager as they are,” Ms KIllon says, “Simplify, simplify, simplify. The easier you can make it for diabetics to deal with what they have to deal with every day, the more adherence you're going to get. The better education that you have for diabetics, the better they're going to understand what they have to do and be able to make those decisions that they have to make every day on their own.”