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Poor compliance has had a major impact clinically and
certainly has a significant impact in terms of our ability to conduct reasonable research
efforts. Research subjects who are not adherent to treatment protocols end up lowering the
power of the study, suggesting that we need an increase in the sample size; it leads to
overestimation of the safety of the treatment, and underestimation of risks and adverse
effects, because individuals are not involved with treatment to the full extent; and
potentially to an underestimation of the effectiveness of treatment itself; and overall
increased cost of research studies. |