Adherence

[Raja Rabadi]

Often times physicians get angry with patients when they miss appointments or don’t take their mediciations. After reading the article, I realized that there is always more than meets the eye. It’s critical to know and understand why patients are non-adherent to medications. Some cannot even afford the copay, other don’t have a way to get to the pharmacy, or they have so many medications that they give up and decide to not take them. Some non adherence issues fall on the physicians as well, when we don’t explain clearly to the patients how to take their medications and when, or what the consequences will be if these medications are not taken.
So, the initial step into solving this issue is to talk openly with the patients about which obstacles are preventing them from taking their medications. Some solutions that come to mind, which can help reduce this issue are to prescribe the least costly medications or the ones that are free for the patients. If picking medications is an issue, maybe enrolling them in a medication delivery system. Taking extra 5min to explain the disease and how the medication can halt the progression of the disease. In addition, giving very clear instruction can help with adherence. Finally, medication reconciliation can be a key to medication adherence, and decreasing the number of medication a patient Chas to take can be the main key for adherence. It is very clear that collaboration between physician and patients is very importance for a better health care system

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