DISCUSSING COMPLIANCE

Patients may not comply with treatment because they:

• cannot get the treatment (e.g. out of stock or high cost)
• are not able to get to the therapist, doctor or pharmacy (e.g. mobility or transportation problems, no home delivery or home visit)
• cannot open the medication (e.g. arthritis, weakness or pain)
• do not understand how to take the medication (e.g. regimen is complicated)
• forget (e.g. dementia)
• are unwilling to comply with therapy for some reason (e.g. side effects or discomfort)
• have emotional issues (e.g. social anxiety or depression)

We can ask if they are

• able to do things:
• Are you able to (+ verb infinitive)…?
• Can you (+ verb infinitive)…?
• Can you manage to + verb infinitive OR Can you manage +verb-ing)…?
• Do you have access to…?

• willing to do things:
• Are you willing to + verb (= be ready to do or try something)
• Would you mind +verb-ing (= Would it be a problem for you to…?)
• Could you + verb…?

• still doing things:
• Are you still + verb-ing …? (NOTE: here, the –ing form is the present progressive tense. The –ing form of verbs has many different uses!)

•     Are you still taking your medication?
•     Are you still doing physiotherapy?

• How have you been managing (+ thing)…?

• How have you been managing with the medication?
• How have you been managing with meals?

• How’ve you been coping with (+ thing OR +verb-ing)

• How’ve you been coping with the medication?
• How’ve you been coping with meals?

READING EXERCISE K

Willing or Able?

Instructions: Does the sentence or question indicate the subject if able, unable, willing or unwilling to do the task?

REMEMBER!

be able to = can -> physically able to do something

willing -> want to do something