What is non-compliance?

• Not filing a prescription initially
• Not refilling a prescription when still needed
• Taking a medication at the wrong time
• Stopping a medication before medication course is completed without your physician’s advice
• Taking the wrong dose
• Taking a medication incorrectly
• Skipping doses
• Taking someone else’s medication

Do you know what your medications are? What each of them are for? How you’re supposed to take them?

Can you remember them? If not, you should write them down and keep them with you at all times. Use an index card to write down the names, the dosages, how often you take them and if you have room, jot down what condition each one is for.

Look at these statistics:

• Approximately 125,000 people with treatable ailments die each year in the USA becaue they do not take their medication properly.
• Fourteen to 21% of patients never fill their original prescriptions.
• Sixty percent of all patients cannot identify their own medications.
• Thirty to 50% of all patients ignore or otherwise compromise instructions concerning their medication.
• Approximately one fourth of all nursing home admissions are related to improper self-administration of medicine.
• Twelve to 20% of patients take other people’s medicines.
• Hospital costs due to patient noncompliance are estimated at $8.5 billion annually.

Noncompliance is typically cited as occurring in from 50%-70% of patients.  In other words, 50%-70% of patients do not properly take prescribed medication. The rate of noncompliance is even higher in patients with chronic illnesses.

Absorb these statistics - look in your own medicine chest……go from there.

Til later,

Terrie

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