Medication Adherence Scale Test

With 25 questions and a five-minute completion time, the Medication Adherence Scale Test explores readiness to follow prescribed medication plans, attitudes toward treatment, and influences from clinicians, loved ones, and personal circumstances. Results can highlight adherence strengths and possible obstacles, supporting focused self-reflection and more constructive treatment discussions.

Questions: 255 minutes

Medication Adherence Scale Test: sample question card

October 2, 2025October 2, 2025Material has been updatedOctober 2, 2025Material has been published

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Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

Physician-Related FactorsPRF

Measures the patient’s trust, communication quality, and collaborative interaction with the treating physician as factors influencing medication adherence.

example score1/4

1/4Low rapportexample score

0 – 1Low rapport

2 – 3Moderate rapport

4High rapport

A score of 1 suggests low rapport with the treating physician, indicating limited trust or communication that may reduce engagement with the treatment plan.

Close Social Environment FactorsCSEF

Measures how support or pressure from family, friends, and other significant people influences a patient’s adherence to prescribed medication.

example score3/5

3/5Mixed influenceexample score

0 – 1Low support / negative influence

2 – 3Mixed influence

4 – 5Strong supportive influence

A score of 3 indicates a mixed social influence, suggesting the immediate environment provides some support but may also include pressures or doubts that can affect adherence.

Patient-Related FactorsPRF

Measures patient-related characteristics such as motivation, awareness, and health attitudes that can influence adherence to medication treatment.

example score8/15

8/15Moderate patient readinessexample score

0 – 5Low patient readiness

6 – 10Moderate patient readiness

11 – 15High patient readiness

A score of 8 indicates moderate patient-related readiness, suggesting generally adequate motivation and understanding with some factors that may still reduce consistent adherence.

Attitudes Toward MedicationATM

Measures how positively a patient views taking prescribed medication and their willingness to follow pharmacological treatment.

example score23/31

23/31High acceptanceexample score

0 – 10Low acceptance

11 – 21Mixed/variable acceptance

22 – 31High acceptance

A score of 23 falls in the High acceptance range, suggesting a generally positive attitude toward medication and a stronger likelihood of adherence.

Overall AdherenceOA

Measures the patient's overall willingness and consistency in following prescribed medication instructions and related treatment recommendations.

example score30/55

30/55Moderate adherenceexample score

0 – 18Low adherence risk

19 – 37Moderate adherence

38 – 55High adherence

A score of 30 indicates moderate adherence, suggesting the patient generally follows the regimen but may have barriers that could affect consistency.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Psychiatric outpatients in treatment

46%OF USERS

People currently prescribed psychiatric medication who want to understand what helps or blocks them from taking it consistently.

Psychiatrists and clinical teams

34%OF USERS

Clinicians use it to quickly spot adherence risks and decide whether to adjust medication, communication, or follow-up support.

Family and caregivers

20%OF USERS

Close relatives or caregivers take it to gauge how their support and attitudes may influence the patient’s willingness to stay on treatment.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Shaded area — where most people score

Dot — the average

You — your score lands on each curve after the test— your score, after the test

Factors Related to the Treating PhysicianFRttTP

You?

Average2.7

Typical rangeTypical2 – 3.5

Possible0 – 4

Factors Related to the Immediate EnvironmentFRttIE

You?

Average3.3

Typical rangeTypical2.7 – 4

Possible0 – 5

Patient-Related FactorsPF

You?

Average10.2

Typical rangeTypical7.4 – 13.1

Possible0 – 15

Attitude Towards MedicationATM

You?

Average18.7

Typical rangeTypical14 – 23.5

Possible0 – 31

Overall compliance levelOcl

You?

Average24.6

Typical rangeTypical17.8 – 31.4

Possible0 – 55

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

This scale is completed by the treating clinician based on all available information about the patient, after reviewing the medical history, current clinical status, details of the patient’s subjective attitude toward pharmacotherapy, observations by medical staff regarding medication intake during inpatient treatment, and reports from close contacts when the patient is in outpatient settings. The BPRS, SANS, and GAF scales must be completed in advance.

- Takes medication independently
- Takes medication under supervision of medical staff or relatives
- Avoids taking medication (avoids or refuses)
- No nonadherence
- Reducing medication doses
- Irregular medication taking
- Stopping medication
- Taking medications not prescribed by the clinician
- Positive
- Neutral / has not taken them before
- Negative

These are 3 of the 25 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

Medication Adherence Scale Test - Description and methodology of the test

compliance

psychopathology

schizophrenia

For people who want to understand what may help or hinder consistent treatment, the Medication Adherence Scale Test offers a structured look at medication-taking behavior and the conditions around it. It is suited to patients reviewing their own treatment experience, as well as clinicians preparing a more focused conversation. This medication adherence assessment considers practical barriers from attitudes, relationships, and clinical factors that can shape follow-through.

What This Assessment Measures

The items cover medication-taking behavior, treatment experience, relationships, social context, and clinical follow-up. They also consider side effects, insight, relapse, functioning, access, and other conditions that may alter adherence. By combining these influences, this medication adherence measure looks beyond a single missed-dose score.

Five scales organize results:

Overall Adherence (0-55) shows readiness: Low adherence risk (0-18), Moderate adherence (19-37), High adherence (38-55).
Physician-Related Factors (0-4) shows rapport: Low rapport (0-1), Moderate rapport (2-3), High rapport (4-4).
Close Social Environment Factors (0-5) shows others’ influence: Low support / negative influence (0-1), Mixed influence (2-3), Strong supportive influence (4-5).
Patient-Related Factors (0-15) reflects personal motivation, health-related knowledge, and attitudes toward health that may influence adherence: Low patient readiness (0-5), Moderate patient readiness (6-10), High patient readiness (11-15).
Attitudes Toward Medication (0-31) shows acceptance: Low acceptance (0-10), Mixed/variable acceptance (11-21), High acceptance (22-31).

Methodology and Evidence Base

Responses use ordered choices, present/absent items, and low/moderate/high categories. This medication adherence questionnaire combines behavior, attitudes, relationships, and clinical context. Selected answers feed the five displayed scales. The online version presents those scales and bands, but no item-level scoring rule or independent normative basis is established for it.

The closest reference is the Medication Compliance Scale (Lutova et al., 2007), a multidimensional model covering patient, physician, social-environment, and medication-attitude factors. Sorokin, Lutova, and Wied (2017) frame treatment motivation as interacting subsystems, while Sorokin et al. (2021) support a holistic view of compliance. This questionnaire is conceptually consistent with those works, not a validated adaptation of them.

Use the profile with information about regimen, side effects, access, therapeutic alliance, and clinical history. Self-report can shift with memory, insight, stigma, mood, or pressure to appear compliant. The displayed bands organize results into levels and should be interpreted with the wider treatment context.

Author: NIPNI

Literature:

Lutova N.B., Bortsov A.V., Wied V.D., Vuks A.Ya. Method for Predicting Drug Compliance in Psychiatry: Guidelines. Saint Petersburg: V.M. Bekhterev Saint Petersburg Research Psychoneurological Institute; 2007. 24 p. ISBN: 978-5-94651-029-5.
Sorokin M.Yu., Neznanov N.G., Lutova N.B., Wied V.D. Revisiting Drug Compliance: The Need for a Holistic Approach in the Treatment of Severe Mental Disorders. Consortium Psychiatricum. 2021;2(3):17-25. 10.17816/CP93.
Sorokin M.Yu., Lutova N.B., Wied V.D. The Role of Treatment Motivation Subsystems in the Overall Structure of Compliance in Patients Undergoing Psychopharmacotherapy. Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology. 2017;47(8):890-894. 10.1007/s11055-017-0486-z.

Updated: 2025-10-02