What term replaced "compliance" preferred by WHO due to suggesting passive obedience?

Adherence

The term 'adherence' gradually took over as the preferred nomenclature, especially promoted by organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. National Institutes of Health Adherence Research Network. This shift occurred because the older term, 'compliance,' carried a connotation that suggested passive obedience from the patient solely to the clinician's directives. Many professionals felt this term was problematic as it failed to account for the complexity of personal behavior and implied excessive physician control. In contrast, 'adherence' suggests a more collaborative process between the patient and provider and inherently acknowledges that there can be diverse, non-blaming reasons why a patient might deviate from the prescribed regimen, leading to a more nuanced understanding of patient behavior.