Medication Adherence

Medication adherence is important for nursing and medical students to understand. Have a custom project written on medication and the need to remain on it when a medical condition requires it.

One of the keys to a successful recovery, no matter what the health condition, is adherence to the treatment plan as prescribed by one's physician, especially with regards to medication adherence. A patient is said to practice medication adherence when they take medicines as instructed by their physician with regard to dosage, time, frequency, and any other directions. Failure to abide by any one of these variables can lead to unintended side effects and unsuccessful recovery. Research has shown the following:

• Medication adherence is lowest among individuals with chronic conditions
• When an individual has to abide by certain medication directions for an extended period of time, they are increasingly likely to become complacent.
• More than 20% of new prescriptions issued by physicians go unfilled by patients

This demonstrates a lack of medication adherence in patients without chronic illnesses.

Studies have shown the impact of poor medication adherence to be profound: more than 125,000 Americans die each year as a result of their inability or unwillingness to abide by medication instructions. With this lack of medication adherence also comes an increase in trips to the emergency room and hospitalizations, particularly among those patients with diabetes or asthma. Between one-third and two-thirds of hospital admissions related to medication are due to individuals not abiding by the instructions of their physician; the cost associated with these hospital stays can be upwards of $100 billion annually.