Medication Adherence can have a more direct impact on patient outcomes than the specific treatment itself; it is estimated that adherence to chronic medications is about 50%, as against the minimum requirement of 80% for optimal therapeutic efficacy.
Adherence rates can go down as time passes after the initial prescription is written, or as barriers emerge or multiply.
According to WHO , medication adherence can have a more direct impact on the patient outcomes compared to the medication itself.
Why Patients Don’t Adhere to Given Therapy ?
- The potential reasons could be :
- Cost of therapy
- Fear of potential side effects
- Lack of knowledge
- Too many medications at one given time
- Absence of Symptoms
Adherence can benefit in 3 ways :
- Improve Quality of life
- Overall Health Outcomes
- Overall Health Costs
Patient Adherence can be effectively done through :
- Patient Counseling
- Patient Education
- Patient Assistance Programs
- Mobile Messaging
- Outbound communication
- Reducing Adverse Events