Resumen

MARTIN ALFONSO, Libertad. Impact of deficient adherence to therapy on the public health. Rev Cubana Salud Pública [online]. 2006, vol.32, n.3, pp. 0-0. ISSN 1561-3127.

The present paper was aimed at substantiating the importance of the problem of a deficient adherence to long medical treatment and how this becomes a difficult issue in the contemporary public health. An analysis was made of the effects of this problem on some questions related to quality of care, rational use of health resources and services, the population's health picture and the quality of life of a patient. The main clinical, economic, and psychosocial consequences that might occur as a result of a low adherence to indicated medical treatment, mainly in chronically-ill patients, were explained. Some aspects that the healthcare system should cope with in relation to adherence to therapy in order to improve the above-mentioned situation were also addressed

Palabras clave : Public health; health systems; health services; adherence to therapy; clinical consequences; economic consequences; psychosocial consequences.