What's in a name? Medication terms: what they mean and when to use them

To ensure that patients benefit as much as possible from the treatment prescribed to them, we, as physicians, must consider some of the new and novel approaches to medication-taking behaviour. We will present a brief overview of this topic and discuss some of the developments in our understanding. We will also demonstrate how this has been inextricably linked with our use of language. As terminology in this field has evolved, our ability to understand and engage with patients and the medications we prescribe them has shifted, mirroring the fundamental change in the doctor–patient relationship