Treatment can only work if the patient properly follows it. In the United States, medication non-adherence is a major problem. According to recent data, about 1 in 5 new prescriptions are never filled. Among those filled, half are not taken according to doctors’ orders for dosage, timing, frequency, and duration.
Getting prescription medication from a neighborhood pharmacy is one thing apart from adhering to one’s medication treatment. While the former can sometimes be difficult or time-consuming to do, considering the present pandemic situation, medication adherence has become one of the many problems that disrupt the treatment and administration of prescribed medications.
Poor medication adherence may result in faulty therapeutic decisions, such as physician escalation of therapies when clinical metrics appear to be underachieved. It also results in greater hospitalization and emergency department rates, higher mortality, and worse patient outcomes. The most common reasons why patients find it difficult to adhere to their treatment include fear, intolerable or even tolerable side effects, high costs, the complexity of multiple prescriptions and dosing regimens, and depression. Regarding the last reason, research finds that depressed patients are three times more likely to have poor medication adherence.
Resolving this issue starts at the very beginning – patient instruction regarding treatment and patient education at the pharmacy level. Our pharmacy in North Carolina can very well address these. We encourage our clients to ask questions about their medications as we take the time to explain how these drugs work.
So, if you’re having a hard time adhering to treatment, call You 1st Pharmacy today to know how to solve this problem. The pharmacists at our retail pharmacy in Gastonia, North Carolina will always be ready to help you with your pharmaceutical needs.
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