A significant public health problem affecting the health of older Americans is their defying of their prescriptions. This is a significant problem burdening the US healthcare system.
Non-adherence to prescribed medications is a serious health problem in the United States, costing an estimated $100 billion per year, according to Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA. It seems to me that we are relying on the prescription drugs more than we should, which affects us medically as well as, financially. Then, if we don't rely on our drugs, we are causing medical and financial concerns.
Half on the patients do not take prescribed medications
The Department of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, in Chicago, IL has found that approximately 50% of patients do not take their medications as prescribed. There are numerous reasons for this health problem. Unique barriers to adherence included understanding new directions, living alone, scheduling medication administration into the daily routine, using potentially inappropriate medications, and uncooperative patients, is what the Department of Pharmacy Practice at Purdue University College of Pharmacy, in West Lafayette, Indiana has found.
Patient Needs to Believe in the Medication
The only solution, at this time, is to include frequent human communication. The Center for Advancing Health has a bit of an addition to that information. The CFAH believes that patient adherence is much more likely to occur when the patient and clinician agree on the basics, e.g., the diagnosis and treatment. If the patient agrees with the diagnosis, the patient believes the medication will work, the patient can afford the medication, and the patient believes the benefits of the medication will outweigh the risks, it is more likely that the patient will continue taking their medication and continue refilling a prescription if it is prescribed.
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