Lisa Barbarotta on Communicating the Importance of Oral Adherence to Patients

Lisa Barbarotta, MSN, APRN-BC, AOCNS, of Smilow Cancer Center at Yale-New Haven Hospital, discusses the how nurses can help patients understand the importance of adhering to their oral prescriptions.

Nurses need a systematic way to address adherence as it can be directly related to outcomes and survivals for patients. To improve adherence, nurses can deliver the message that their prescriptions are not "just a pill" early on in treatment. Patients understand the "how" and "why" of the treatment.