What’s the Importance of Medication Adherence?
Did you know that 3 out of 4 Australians struggle to take their medication as prescribed by their doctor, often due to a lack of understanding about the importance of proper medication adherence?
Medication adherence can be a challenge, but it is crucial for maintaining good health, especially for those with chronic illnesses. The World Health Organization reports that 50% of patients with chronic conditions don’t take their medicine as directed.
For patients who have been diagnosed with a chronic condition, adhering to a proper medication regimen can have significant benefits, including preventing disease progression, improving quality of life, and reducing healthcare costs.
Medication Adherence and Its Challenges
To encourage medication adherence, it’s important to understand your medical condition and the role of your medicine. Incorporating your medication into your daily routine, using a pill organiser to keep track of doses, and utilising electronic reminders can all help you stay on track.
Failure to follow the medication regimen could be due to low health literacy, lack of communication, limited access to care, cost, and just simply the hassle of taking multiple medications.
Importance Of Medication Adherence
Adhering to medication as prescribed is important as it:
Prevents disease progression
If you suffer from a chronic illness, you must adhere to the medication regimen. It slows the progression of chronic disease, reduces the risk of life-threatening complications, and improves functionality and overall health outcomes. The medication works by reducing the symptoms in the short term and managing the disease in the long term, thus preventing a decline in the patient’s health.
Improve the quality of life
Medication adherence is directly associated with improving the quality of life in patients with chronic illness. It helps achieve the desired clinical outcomes and maintains patients’ overall well-being. So, if a patient doesn’t stick to the medication as prescribed by a doctor, it will typically reduce the clinical benefits and can affect quality of life.
Reduce healthcare cost
Medication non-adherence increases the utilisation of healthcare services leading to an increase in overall healthcare costs. On the other hand, following the prescribed medication regimen saves money in the long run by minimising emergency room and hospital visits.
Measures For Encouraging Adherence
The consequences of not taking medication in the right way can be alarming and may even lead to premature death. So, overcoming the hurdles and developing the right approach to improve medication adherence is important.
Patients should undertake the following steps to ensure adherence:
- Develop a complete understanding of medical conditions and the role of medicine – education is key!
- Incorporate medications into your daily activities, for example, before or after lunch or dinner.
- Use pill organisers, i.e., dose administration aid for medication management. It reduces medication intake errors by up to 99 percent. You don’t have to remember when and how to take the medicines.
- Use electronic reminders such as mobile Apps or alarms.
Improve Your Medication Compliance with SimpleDose
If remembering your medication plan is a struggle, consider signing up for an online pharmacy service like SimpleDose in Australia. SimpleDose is a PBS-certified pharmacy that provides 28-day medication supplies with detailed instructions, making it easier to stick to your regimen and stay healthy. SimpleDose is a Webster Pack alternative that provides superior convenience and safety.
Being a reliable PBS-certified pharmacy, SimpleDose has qualified pharmacists who will supply 28-day medication with detailed instructions, so you never mix your doses. Sign up now to get the medication delivered instantly to your doorstep.