Jian Tang,1 Pimpaporn Klunklin,2 Sumalee Lirtmunlikaporn,2 Yanan Wang3 

1Department of Infectious Diseases, The Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Faculty of Nursing, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand; 3School of Medicine and Health Care, Jiangyang City Construction College, Luzhou, People’s Republic of China

Correspondence: Jian Tang, Email tangjian034@swmu.edu.cn

Purpose: To clarify the meaning of treatment adherence and identify its attributes, antecedents, consequences, and empirical referents.
Design: A concept analysis.
Methods: Walker and Avant’s method was used to analyze treatment adherence. PubMed, Web of Science, Wiley Online Library, and EBSCO databases were searched from 2013 to 2023. The PRISMA 2020 checklist was used.
Results: Seventeen studies were included in this analysis. The defining attributes were the ability to comply with the treatment, consistency in the treatment plan, communication with the healthcare provider, and willingness to treat. Antecedents included multiple medicines, lifestyle changes, illness perceptions and beliefs, and long-term treatment. The outcomes included treatment success, improved long-term treatment, and improved clinical outcomes.
Conclusion: Treatment adherence is a positive reaction of a patient to have the ability to comply with the treatment, consistency in the treatment plan, communication with the healthcare provider, and willingness to treat. This study proposes a detailed definition, attributes, antecedents, consequences, and empirical referents for treatment adherence. It is instructive to clinical nursing of treatment adherence, can be extended to various diseases, helps to improve clinical nursing practice regarding treatment adherence, and contribute to improving human health.

Keywords: treatment adherence, concept analysis, clinical nursing, nursing practice