Schizophrenia patients who perform poorly on certain cognitive tests are less likely to adhere to their correct course of medication compared to the patients who perform well on cognitive tests.
These are the findings of a research study performed recently by Dr. Walter Heinrichs and the colleague researchers at the “York University, Toronto, Canada”. Dr. Walter Heinrichs and his research team found that patients with deficits in word recognition and pronunciation, auditory working memory, and verbal learning showed poor medication competence in simulated tests. This study report with all the findings has been published recently in the journal “Psychiatry Research”.
According to the findings of this study, medication competence refers to a patient’s knowledge and ability to self-administer oral medication.” It is necessary for actual medication adherence, although patient factors such as symptom severity and subjective drug response also play an important role”, Dr Walter Heinrichs and colleagues explain.
Preliminary evidence had already suggested that global cognitive impairment contributes to poor medication competence.
