Define medication adherence

Rates of nonadherence vary widely in the literature and can be very high, even in the tightly controlled environment of a clinical trial. Multiple factors contribute to nonadherence. For instance, patients with chronic conditions are less likely to follow prescription orders than those with acute conditions. [ A patient's ability and willingness to follow a prescribed regimen directly influences the effectiveness of that therapy. One factor is the patient's ability to read and understand medication instructions. Patients with low literacy may have difficulty understanding instructions; this ultimately results in decreased adherence and poor medication management. [ [ Current practices, such as the increased use of mail service pharmacies and reduced time available for the pharmacist to provide patient counseling, present challenges for pharmacists to effectively assess and detect medication adherence issues. However, pharmacists have a unique role in the medication management system that places them in a position to positively affect medication adherence. This requires the continued review of new information so that new concepts and ideas can be incorporated into patient counseling and intervention programs. This paper reviews some of the new trials reported in 2005 on medication adherence, with particular emphasis on how pharmacists might incorporate this knowledge into their practices. Authors and Disclosures Charlotte A. Kenreigh, PharmD, and Linda Timm Wagner, PharmD, ...

There is plenty of supporting published evidence showing that medication non-adherence has severe consequences for the patient’s health and results in billions of dollars in excess healthcare costs annually. The Physicians have long recognized that multiple factors will lead a patient to become non-adherent. For example, a patient who cannot afford medications will not be adherent. A patient who forgets to fill their refills, or has difficulty getting to the pharmacy, will not be adherent. A patient who doesn’t understand the medication — or doesn’t believe it is necessary — will not be adherent. These very real barriers exist among our patients, and yet our healthcare systems have struggled to mitigate them. However, that is changing. With today’s focus on value-based care, there is greater awareness and supporting research of the impact of medication non-adherence. The need to address these barriers has become a top priority for most healthcare organizations. Statistics to Define the Problem There is a saying, “What gets measured, gets done.” Medication adherence is now being more closely measured, which has resulted in healthcare systems investing more resources in understanding and improving medication adherence. Statistics show that overall, It is estimated that medication non-adherence for patients with chronic conditions in US causes nearly 125,000 deaths annually, along with a Clearly, there is a critical need to understand the barriers that exist that lead to medi...

Medication Adherence and Compliance Poor adherence to medication therapy is a longstanding challenge in the healthcare community and is now recognized as a public health crisis.1 The World Health Organization reports adherence at approximately 50 percent among patients taking medications for chronic illnesses.2 Poor adherence has been associated with reduced quality of life, disease progression, mortality, and increased healthcare costs in the United States.3 Hospitalization due to poor medication adherence is linked to approximately 125,000 deaths per year and an estimated healthcare cost of $100 billion annually.3 Two related terms, compliance and adherence, are commonly used to describe patient medication-taking behavior.4 Compliance is the extent to which patient behavior matches the prescriber's care plan as determined by the provider alone and implies patient disobedience when not followed. Clinical practice has shifted away from the term "compliance," with clinicians now favoring "adherence" as an alternative. Adherence is the extent to which patient behavior aligns with clinical decisions that were mutually decided upon by the patient and provider. In contrast to compliance, adherence encompasses patient freedom of choice and does not blame the patient for non-adherence. The movement to using adherence in place of compliance represents an important shift toward empowering the patient in health-related decisions in today's Patient non-adherence may result in incorre...

CLINICAL REFLECTIONS Change, control, and compliance are terms often used in addiction treatment. So too are surrender, adherence, and recovery. It is known that addiction is a struggle for control and relinquishing control is a critical step in the recovery journey. We are struggling to gain control over what happens to our minds and bodies when we use substances. We fight to be right, to continue to use, to end the pain of withdrawal, and to make life easier to bear. We fight long into allostasis, believing that we will one day reach homeostasis. We simply do not believe that we cannot feel euphoria one more time. We fight like seasoned warriors for the right to use drugs and alcohol with abandon. This is the great surrender everyone talks about: laying down our weapons and admitting that we cannot control what happens when we use. That we are controlled by it. The way clinicians work with patients during this phase is critical. When this work is not done respectfully and from a recovery-informed place, patients may either rebel or “submit” by making the motions to please others, without being fully invested. Either way, the result is more suffering—possibly even death. Let’s face it: No one likes to recreate themselves, to admit when they are wrong, or to restart their lives. Yet, for those of us with substance use disorder (SUD), that is exactly what we are doing. We are admitting we were wrong, starting over, and creating a new identity for ourselves. That is hard wor...

It is estimated that three out of four Americans do not take their medication as directed. Taking medication correctly may seem like a simple or personal matter, but non-adherence (or not taking medication as directed) is a complicated and common problem. People do not realize the real damage or consequences of non-adherence. When patients with chronic conditions such as In sum, poor medication adherence takes the lives of 125,000 Americans annually, and costs the health care system nearly $300 billion a year in additional doctor visits, emergency department visits and hospitalizations. There are many reasons why people are not able to take their medication as directed. • They may forget. • They may not be convinced of the medication’s effectiveness or be unsure that it is working. • They may fear the side effects or have difficulty taking the medication (especially with injections or inhalers). • And we all know that the rising cost of prescription medications is a barrier for many. Some may face a combination of these reasons for not taking their medications. One person may face different barriers at different times as he or she manages his or her condition. Whatever the reason, you could miss out on potential benefits, quality of life improvements, and could lose protection against future illness or serious health complications. Taking your medication as directed is a decision YOU make most of the time. It gives you the best opportunity to manage your chronic condition ...

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