Over the past 40 years, health, behavioural and social scientists have been accumulating knowledge concerning the prevalence of poor adherence, its determinants and interventions. This report is an attempt to integrate diverse findings across a number of diseases in order to stimulate intersectoral awareness of the magnitude and impact of poor adherence to therapies for chronic conditions, to catalyse discussion, and to identify specific targets for further research and intervention.

Several key lessons have emerged or have been reinforced by evidence from the reviews discussed in this report. These are described below.