Pleio analyzed over 140,000 real patient conversations through its AI-powered platform, OLLIE, to uncover what truly disrupts medication adherence.
This analysis is based on the foundation of Pleio’s Barrier Blueprint, which organizes the complexity of adherence into seven dimensions, 37 drivers, and 85 distinct barriers.
While financial strain is often assumed to be the primary driver of non-adherence, Pleio’s analysis shows that the most common challenges stem from knowledge (40.6%) and skills (40.5%). Because barriers frequently overlap, appearing across multiple dimensions rather than in isolation, patients often struggle not just with what to do, but how to do it.
OLLIE™ uncovered clear variations by disease state, age, and gender. While emotional and practical barriers are present across all groups, their frequency and type differ, reflecting how patient needs shift across conditions and treatment experiences.
To translate these insights into something more tangible, Pleio has developed the Underminers. An Underminer represents a human state that can influence whether the patient starts, stays, or stops therapy. By naming and visualizing these states, we can better understand how hidden feelings shape adherence and how human support can address them.
“What we see so clearly in the data is how deeply patients need to feel supported. Fear, hesitation, and doubt often overshadow financial barriers entirely. And without a human voice offering clarity and calm, even the medication already in a patient’s hand may not lead to that first, meaningful dose.”
–Michael Oleksiw, CEO of Pleio