are on the front lines in the war against drugs. Not only do they help
stop prescription drug abuse but the new drug problem of not taking
medications is also a war on their turf.
The American Pharmacists Association
(APhA) tells consumers that in the US alone, "America's other drug
problem," or nonadherence to prescribed medication regimens, results in
up to 125,000 deaths and costs the health care system more than $177 billion every year.
Every
year, APhA conducts its public education campaign, "Know Your Medicine,
Know Your Pharmacist" urging consumers to get to know their
pharmacist. This is a way to underline the importance of the
pharmacist in making sure people take their medications safely and
effectively.
In a recent Harvard Medical School
study, more than 20% of first time prescriptions went unfilled. Primary
nonadherence, or the failure to fill a first prescription, was even
higher among patients with chronic diseases – diabetes 31.4% and
hypertension 28.4%.
There are many reasons why patients
do not take their medication as prescribed. Examples include patients
choosing not to take a medication because they may not believe in its
value or its helpfulness, not taking a prescription regularly because
they may not have a full understanding of the medication or the routine,
or they may simply forget to take them.
Many
consumers may not understand the implications of incorrectly taking
their medications, and the symptoms may not be noticeable or be as minor
as a small headache and fatigue. Not adhering properly to a medication
regimen may drastically alter the effectiveness of treatment and
possibly be life-threatening.
There are a number
of examples of this in treatment of medical problems. A key example,
patients with cardiovascular problems who do not adhere to their
medications are at increased risk for stroke, heart attack and other
cardiac conditions. In diabetics, improper adherence to medications and
treatments can lead to debilitating complications such as increased
blood sugar, amputations, blindness, kidney disease, cardiovascular
disease and stroke.
Patients may not know that they are not taking a medication correctly. A few examples of nonadherence include:
- Delaying or not refilling a prescription
- Discontinuing a medication before the therapy course is completed
- Skipping Doses, and taking more or less of a prescribed medication
- Altering the dosing schedule or taking a pill at the wrong time
- Holding on to partially used or expired medications, "just in case"
"Medication
adherence is a significant problem for the US healthcare system, and as
any healthcare provider will tell you 'drugs don't work in patients who
don't take them,'" stated Thomas Menighan,
APhA Executive Vice President and CEO. "Pharmacists are the medication
experts and are specifically trained to help consumers with their
medication issues and questions, including adherence. Your pharmacist
can help you coordinate a better medication schedule and is available to
discuss proper medication usage, food/drug interactions, side effects,
dosing, generics and over-the-counter medications, compliance issues and
more."
Monitoring healthcare progression and
medication adherence puts pharmacists on the front lines on America's
"other drug war," to make sure people follow doctor's recommendations so
that folks remain healthy.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Say something constructive. Negative remarks and name-calling are not allowed.