Workshop 13: The assessment of medication adherence in clinical trials: challenges and best practices
Tracks
Track 3
| Monday, July 13, 2026 |
| 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM |
Details
Sub-optimal medication adherence is pervasive in all aspects of clinical trial research yet the measurement and reporting of this important outcome is often minimal. This workshop will equip participants with an understanding of the methods and guidelines that can help better interpret the findings of clinical trials. The workshop will emphasize the importance of separating adherence according to phases, specifically initiation, implementation and persistence, and the application of the TEOS framework for constructing operational definitions of medication adherence. Through a review of recent knowledge and use of case studies, the workshop will describe best practices for adherence measurement and analysis. Applications and examples relating to trial run-in phases and deviations from protocols (e.g. dose escalation) will be discussed. Finally, participants will be introduced to the RoBIAS tool for judging biases in adherence research, and the EMERGE guideline for transparent reporting. The workshop will be interactive via structured group discussions.
Speaker
Ms Non Davies
Docteral student
Bangor University
Adherence screening and run-in phases for clinical trials
Biography
Non is a PhD student at The Centre for Health Economics and Medicines Evaluation (CHEME). After obtaining a BSc Biomedical Sciences degree from The University of Manchester, she undertook a KESS2-funded MScRes degree at Bangor University in collaboration with Aparito - a wholly owned subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Company, with her thesis titled ‘Digital Health Solutions for Medication Adherence Support.’ Her PhD research focuses on medication adherence during the run-in phase of clinical trials, under the supervision of Professor Dyfrig Hughes, Professor Bernard Vrijens, and Associate Professor Daniel Wright. She is funded by The Medical Research Council Trials Methodology Research Partnership Doctoral Training Program (MRC TMRP DTP).
Assoc Prof Daniel Wright
The University of Sydney
Dose escalation due to suboptimal medication adherence in a clinical trial setting: An anonymised case study
Biography
Dan Wright is an Associate Professor in Clinical Pharmacy at the University of Sydney. His research interests span clinical pharmacology, pharmacometrics, and medication adherence. He has expertise in modelling and simulation and the quantitative analysis of medication adherence data. His research platform aims to enhance the quantitative understanding of how drug treatments impact human biology and to explore the sources of variability in drug response between individuals. He uses this information to improve outcomes for patients through individualised dosing. Dan conducts research across several therapeutic areas notably cardiology, nephrology, transplant medicine and rheumatology.
Dr Klarissa Sinnappah
The University Of Sydney
Detecting the risk of bias in the measurement and reporting of adherence to regulatory agencies
Biography
Dr Klarissa Sinnappah is an affiliate researcher with the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney and a practising community pharmacist based in Dunedin, New Zealand. Her research spans clinical pharmacology and medication adherence, with early work focusing on the pharmacokinetics and safe dosing of metformin in patients receiving intermittent haemodialysis.
She has since established a research portfolio in medication adherence work, where she has evaluated the effectiveness of clinical interventions designed to improve adherence to urate-lowering therapy in patients with gout. In parallel, Klarissa has contributed to advancing methodological rigour in adherence research through the development of purpose-designed risk of bias tools (RoBIAS and RoBOAS) for medication adherence research.
Her work has been recognised internationally, including endorsement from The International Society for Medication Adherence (ESPACOMP), the premier scientific society globally dedicated to adherence research. Alongside her research, Klarissa remains dedicated to her role as a community pharmacist. She is committed to applying evidence-based strategies to optimise medicines use, support patient-centred care, and strengthen the role of primary healthcare in improving medication adherence outcomes.
Dr Carole Bandiera
The University of Sydney
Adherence to protein kinase inhibitors in solid cancers: real world data
Biography
A pharmacist by training, Carole completed her PhD at the University of Geneva in 2023 in the research group of Prof Marie Paule Schneider. During her PhD, she coordinated two randomized controlled trials evaluating the impact of the pharmacist-led interprofessional medication adherence program on medication adherence in patients with chronic illnesses. In 2023, Carole was awarded a fellowship from the Swiss National Science Foundation to pursue a two-year postdoctoral project at the University of Sydney in Prof Parisa Aslani’s research group. Her current research focuses on collaborative practices between pharmacists and community health workers in Australia and New Zealand, exploring how they can synergistically work together and improve patient health outcomes.
Session chair
Carole Bandiera
The University of Sydney
Daniel Wright
The University of Sydney