I Forgot

Abstract

In an interesting article published in this issue of Circulation: Heart Failure, Dolansky et al1 report an association between memory and medication adherence in a sample of community-dwelling adults with reduced ejection fraction heart failure. They point out that subclinical cognitive impairment is common, and the medication regimen typical of patients with heart failure is complex and prone to error. After only 21 days of monitoring medication adherence, Dolansky et al documented that 47% of their sample of 309 patients failed to meet a basic level of adherence (80% of days compliant with the prescribed regimen). Major strengths of this study include objectively measured medication adherence using electronic monitoring and use of a neuropsychological battery to assess cognition. Both approaches reflect the gold standard in measurement approaches. The major weakness of the study is the short duration of measurement, but a longer duration would probably only increase the number of patients found to be nonadherent after the novelty of the measurement device wears off. Thus, these results provide an enticing window into an area with great potential for intervention.