Medication adherence in Alzheimer's disease: The mediator role of mindfulness.

BACKGROUND: Medication adherence is often assessed based on compliance to the dosage and frequency of physician's prescription. Cognitive impairment is one of the biggest barriers in elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), who are usually polymedicated with different oral drugs. Transdermal drug delivery, also requires mobility abilities, reinforcing the role of patients' caregivers. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between psychological variables such as social support, family satisfaction, psychological morbidity, awareness of the disease, coping, mindfulness and medication adherence, in patients with AD, taking in consideration the patient's perspective. DESIGN: Cross-sectional and quantitative study including 128 patients with mild AD. RESULTS: Medication adherence showed a positive relationship with social support, mindfulness, family satisfaction and awareness of the disease. Mindfulness was a mediator in the relationship between awareness of the disease and medication adherence. CONCLUSIONS: This study reinforces the importance of psychological assessment in medication adherence in mild AD patients, specially the role of mindfulness. Intervention programs to promote mindfulness may have a potential dual benefit, preserving cognitive skills and promoting medication adherence.