Medication adherence simply means taking your medications as prescribed by your doctor. This includes taking the right dose at the correct time and for the entire length of time that your doctor has prescribed. It sounds easy enough, but many people struggle with sticking to their medication routine. In fact, approximately 50% of patients don’t take their medications as prescribed.
Not taking your medications as prescribed can have serious consequences. Your condition may worsen, and you may even experience life-threatening complications. For example, if you have high blood pressure, not taking your medication as prescribed can lead to a heart attack or stroke. This will result in more frequent hospitalizations, and in some cases, death.
In fact, medication non-adherence is responsible for 125,000 deaths each year in the United States. Furthermore, the cost of not taking medications as prescribed is also high. A study in the United States found that medication non-adherence costs the healthcare system about $290 billion each year.
7 Medication Adherence Challenges
Low health literacy
Low health literacy is a serious problem in India, with 53.7% of adults having difficulty understanding basic health information. This can lead to problems with medication adherence and ultimately poorer health outcomes. Improving patient education and communication around medication must be a priority in order to improve population health.
Misunderstanding of illness
People may also not take their medications because they lack understanding of illness/disease and tend to have wrong beliefs and attitudes concerning the effectiveness of treatment. They may think that their illness or symptoms are not serious enough to warrant taking medication. Or they may also believe they can just tough it out and deal with their symptoms without medication.
Side effect terror
Many people are also afraid of taking medications because of potential side effects. This is especially true for older adults, who may be more sensitive to medications. Side effect terror can lead to patients skipping doses or even stopping their medication altogether.
Cost
Cost is another factor that can lead to medication non-adherence. A lot of people face problems affording their medications, especially in low- and middle-income countries. In India, for example, the cost of medicines can account for a large proportion of a person’s income. This often leads to people skipping doses or taking less than the prescribed amount in order to make their medication last longer.
Complexity of regimen
The complexity of a medication regimen can also lead to problems with adherence. This is often the case for older adults, who may be taking multiple medications for different conditions. It can be difficult to keep track of all the different medications and when to take them. This is why it is important to have a good system in place to help you keep track of your medications.
Forgetting
Of course, forgetting to take your medication is a common problem. This can be due to forgetfulness or simply not having enough time in the day to focus on taking your medications. There are many ways to help you remember to take your medication, such as setting an alarm on your phone or keeping your medications in a visible place.
Complacency
Sometimes people may feel better after starting their medication and then become complacent about taking it. They may think that they no longer need the medication or that their condition is cured. However, it is important to continue taking your medication as prescribed, even if you are feeling better.
A step towards improving medication adherence
Keeping in mind the importance of medication adherence and the harmful effects of not following medications, PillUp is taking a step to improve your medication adherence.
PillUp is a modern health tech firm that understands the importance of medication adherence and the harmful effects of not following medications. We have developed a solution to help people overcome the challenges of medication adherence.
We provide pre-sorted medications in easy-to-tear pouches that are packed by a machine under the supervision of pharmacists. We know how important it is for you to take right medicines at right time. That’s why we ensure that you only receive quality presorted medications with time and date mentioned on the pouches and in the dosage prescribed by the doctor.
Furthermore, we also offer the convenience of delivering your medications directly to your doorstep. Our packaging service is free and you are required to pay for the medication only, we even send reminders for you to take your medication on time!
So what are you waiting for? Get started today and make your life easier with presorted medications!
Conclusion
Medical non-adherence is a huge problem not just in India, but around the world. It’s important to be aware of the factors that can lead to problems with medication adherence and to find ways to overcome them. Not taking your medication as prescribed can have serious consequences for your health which will result in more doctor visits, more hospitalizations, more medical bills, and sometimes even death.
Pill Up is one way to help people overcome the challenges of medication adherence. We want to make sure that you are able to take your medications as prescribed and that you have a positive experience with our service.
Try PillUp today and make your life easier with presorted medications!
