Tracking Adherence

Version: 0.1.1 | Last Updated: 2026-01-07

Overview

Medication adherence measures how consistently you take your medications as prescribed. CareForMeds automatically calculates your adherence and helps you identify patterns to improve.

What is Adherence?

Adherence is the percentage of scheduled doses you actually took.

Example:

You're supposed to take 2 doses per day
Over 7 days, that's 14 scheduled doses
You took 12 doses
Adherence = (12 / 14) × 100 = 86%

Adherence Levels

Score	Level	What It Means
95-100%	Excellent	You're taking medications as prescribed
80-94%	Good	Minor inconsistencies, generally on track
50-79%	Needs Improvement	Missing doses regularly, talk to your provider
Below 50%	Poor	Medications may not be effective at this level

Viewing Your Adherence

Dashboard View

Your dashboard shows overall adherence across all medications with color-coded indicators:

🟢 Green: 80% and above
🟡 Yellow: 50-79%
🔴 Red: Below 50%

Per-Medication View

Go to Medications
Click on a specific medication
View adherence percentage and trend chart

Weekly/Monthly Reports

Go to Reports or Analytics
Select date range
View detailed adherence breakdown by medication and time period

Understanding Adherence Trends

CareForMeds shows you patterns over time:

Daily patterns - Do you miss more morning or evening doses?
Weekly patterns - Are weekends harder than weekdays?
Monthly trends - Is your adherence improving or declining?

Factors Affecting Adherence

Common reasons for missed doses:

Forgetting
Complex schedules
Side effects
Cost of medications
Feeling better (thinking you don't need it)
Feeling it doesn't work

Improving Your Adherence

Use Reminders

Enable push notifications to get alerts before each dose is due.

Simplify Your Schedule

Ask your doctor if medications can be consolidated to fewer times per day.

Link to Routines

Take medications with existing habits (breakfast, brushing teeth, bedtime).

Use Pill Organizers

Physical organizers make it easy to see if you've taken your dose.

Get Support

Add a caregiver who can check in and help track doses.

Address Side Effects

If side effects cause you to skip doses, talk to your provider about alternatives.

Adherence and Your Health

Why adherence matters:

Medications work better when taken consistently
Chronic conditions require steady medication levels
Hospitalizations decrease with good adherence
Healthcare costs reduce when medications are effective

Studies show that adherence below 80% significantly reduces medication effectiveness for many conditions.

Sharing Adherence Data

With Your Doctor

Go to Reports
Select the date range to share
Click Export or Print
Bring to your appointment

With Caregivers

Caregivers you've authorized can view your adherence in real-time through their caregiver dashboard.

Adherence Goals

Setting realistic goals:

Start with your current adherence as baseline
Aim for 5-10% improvement at a time
Celebrate reaching 80%, then aim for 90%
Perfect adherence (100%) isn't always necessary - talk to your provider