Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41580739›Full record

SynthesisBMC nephrology2026

Medication adherence tools and measures in chronic kidney disease: a systematic review.

Elnaz Roohi, Donna Rahmatian, Megan Borkum, Nina Bredenkamp, Claudia Ho, Hilary Wu, Katie Haubrich, Adam Pietrobon, Sarah Gregson, Mohammad Atiquzzaman and 1 more

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC nephrology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Elnaz RoohiFaculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia, 2775 Laurel St, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1M9, Canada. eroohi@student.ubc.ca.
Donna RahmatianSt. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, Canada.
Megan BorkumDivision of Nephrology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Nina BredenkampSurrey Memorial Hospital, Fraser Health Renal Program, Surrey, Canada.
Claudia HoSurrey Memorial Hospital, Fraser Health Renal Program, Surrey, Canada.
Hilary WuVancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, Canada.
Katie HaubrichChildren's & Women's Health Centre of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Adam PietrobonDivision of Nephrology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Sarah GregsonRoyal Inland Hospital, Interior Health, Kamloops, Canada.
Mohammad AtiquzzamanDivision of Nephrology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Adeera LevinDivision of Nephrology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThere is no gold standard for assessment of medication adherence. This study aimed to systematically review the literature to identify validated medication adherence measurement tools and methods used in clinical practice and research settings in the context of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and to synthesize key features of the identified medication adherence tools.

methodsWe systematically reviewed MEDLINE via Ovid, Embase via Ovid, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and CINAHL (via EBSCO) from inception to September 25, 2025. All abstracts were screened by pairs of reviewers independently, followed by a full-text review identifying the tool/method used for measuring medication adherence. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed to conduct this systematic review. General study and medication adherence method/tool-specific characteristics were summarized. The quality criteria for measurement properties were applied across the included studies to synthesize and assess the strength of the evidence.

resultsThe 43 included articles originated from 25 countries. The most common measures used for evaluating medication adherence were the Eight-Item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8) (n = 11 [25.6%]), Medication Possession Ratio (MPR) (n = 10 [23.3%]), Proportion of Days Covered (PDC) (n = 8 [18.6%]), and Medication Events Monitoring System (MEMS) (n = 6 [14.0%]). Five (15.6%) studies used multiple methods to measure medication adherence.

conclusionNo accepted reference tool is available to measure CKD patients' medication adherence. Some tools, however, were used more frequently in the context of patients with CKD. Choosing an appropriate method/tool or a combination of methods depends on the clinician/researcher's goals, study setting, availability of data and other resources, and patients' characteristics.

Indexed as

Drug MonitoringMedication AdherenceRenal Insufficiency, ChronicHumansChronic diseaseChronic kidney diseaseMedication adherenceMedication persistence

Identifiers

PMID41580739
PMCPMC12914908

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.