When it comes to medication adherence, its surprising why so many patients fail to stick to follow their doctor’s orders. In fact, about 50% of patients fail to correctly take their prescriptions, whether they take the medications incorrectly or not at all.
A recent article on slate.com discussed this mysterious lack of medication adherence. According to the article, about half of patients who “undergo kidney transplants do not adequately adhere to the regimen necessary to thwart rejection of their new organ.” Additionally, “a 1970s study found that 43 percent of glaucoma patients refused to take the doctor-ordered measures necessary to prevent blindness, even when that refusal had already led to blindness in one eye.”
But why?
One obvious culprit is cost. “A recent study in Health Affairs reported that 29 percent of patients with chronic kidney failure in the United States did not purchase needed drugs because they were too expensive.” However, if you look beyond the US, many countries with higher co-pays that have better medication adherence.
A study by Rand Health shed some light on one potential predictor of medication adherence. Doctors who took the time to listen to their patients’ questions regarding their medications and answered them fully saw an increase in compliance. Could it be that patients simply don’t understand their doctor’s instructions?
Medication adherence is a serious matter. Aside from costing patients needless expense, it can also cost them their safety. In-house dispensing can increase medication adherence by cutting out the middleman. In dealing with their patients’ medications directly, physicians can better predict when their patients will fail to follow instructions and act to prevent it. Additionally, patients can ask their doctors questions about their prescriptions when they actually have them in hand.
Northwind Pharmaceuticals is helping increase medication adherence through in-house dispensing. To find out if in-house dispensing is right for your clinic, contact us today.
