“We need to move towards a fundamental change in medical culture”

The European Patients Forum (EPF) wants professionals to be trained in shared decision-making and in communicating effectively with patients about treatment choices and goals.

The EPF is proposing a change in attitude from ‘blaming the patient’ to ‘working with the patient for better health outcomes’ – along with a change in terminology from ‘compliance’ to ‘adherence’ – in order to promote what it describes as “a neutral description of patients’ medicine-taking behaviour.”