Patient Medication Adherence Information
Prescribed medications and treatment regimens cannot result in the desired outcomes if the medicines and / or treatments are not adhered to as prescribed by the health care provider.
The toll of non-adherence
In the United States, some of the impacts of non-adherence:
- 125,00 deaths / year
- 25% of nursing home admissions
- 10% of older adult hospital admissions
- 20% of printable adverse drug events
In the United States, what happens after a prescription (Rx) is written?
- 12% of patients do not fill new Rx’s
- 12% don’t take theory Rx’s after they are filled
- 29% stop taking their Rx’s before completing the prescribed course
- 22% take less Rx than was prescribed
Estimates vary, however adherence or compliance with medication regimens is a significant health care and public health problem.
Non-adherence is a particular problem for:
- Chronic illnesses
- Patients whose symptoms may come and go, so the perceived “need” varies
- Progressive illnesses
- Prescriptions and / or treatment regimens that are complex