Script Your Future
Medication adherence means taking medication as instructed by a health care professional. For many, such as those patients affected by diabetes mellitus, respiratory diseases, or cardiovascular diseases, taking medication is part of daily life. In fact, nearly half of our nation's population has at least one chronic condition requiring drug therapy. Medication non-adherence, whether done on purpose or inadvertently, can include:
- failing to fill or refill a prescription;
- taking more or less medication than was prescribed;
- taking medication at the wrong time, or
- taking medication prescribed for someone else.
Medication non-adherence is at epidemic levels! It may surprise you to learn that one out of three patients will never fill their prescriptions, and nearly three out of four Americans don't follow their prescribed treatment regimens. More than one-third of hospital admissions are linked to medication non-adherence. Patients may struggle with medication adherence for many reasons, and the consequences are serious – poor health outcomes for patients and increased costs for our health care system.
Raising awareness among patients and caregivers about the importance of medication adherence is a critical first step towards better health outcomes. Find additional tips and resources about medication adherence for yourself and your loved ones by visiting www.scriptyourfuture.org today. Take the first step. Take the pledge. Take your meds.
Reference: "Compact Action Brief: Improving Patient Medication Adherence" New England Healthcare Institute, April 2011. Accessed August 31, 2011,
http://www.nehi.net/publication/54/compact_action_brief_improving_patient_medication_adherence.
