Why doesn't it matter when nonadherence to medical advice takes place?
a. Physicians and insurance providers assume a 50-percent nonadherence rate across patients. If the actual figure is a little higher or lower, it doesn't matter.
b. Nonadhering patients tend not to revisit a physician, so their rates of nonadherence can't be accounted for.
c. Most modern medical treatments capitalize on the placebo effect. Not adhering to treatments is unlikely to cause major disruptions to a patient.
d. Whether a patient never starts treatment, stops early, modifies the treatment, or is inconsistent, the result is all the same - poor health prevails.