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Definition of Medication Compliance – Taking the correct amount of the prescribed medicine at the proper time
Although this seems easy enough, medication noncompliance is one of the biggest issues in healthcare today. This is especially true with the elderly which often take multiple medications. Below are just a few of the statistics:
• Nearly 60% of patients taking 5 or more medications take them improperly.
• Medication errors injure more that 1 million people a year in the United States
• 50% of the 2 billion prescriptions filled each year are not taken correctly
• Roughly half of all routine medications are either not completed or are never filled in the first place. This is especially true with medications that treat asymptomatic conditions such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol. People think “If I don’t feel any symptoms or don’t see any tangible results, why should I take them?” However, the effects of not taking these medications can be devastating.
Medication Non Compliance is responsible for:
• 23% of all nursing home admissions
• $100 billion in direct and indirect costs
• Unneeded medication changes
• Unexplained treatment failures
• Repeat office visits
• Increased risk of hospitalization
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