New strategy reduces non-adherence to medication
Researchers at the University of Missouri have found a new method to ensure that patients take the medicine in the right dosages to improve their health.
The new method, called Continuous Self-Improvement Strategy focuses medical assistants discuss the daily routine a patient needs to undertake, which includes taking medicine at the right time.
Medicines don’t work if not taken properly in the right doses as prescribed. In fact, non-adherence to medication costs thousands of lives a year in the U.S. alone, said a recent study by the New England Healthcare Institute.
"Continuous Self-Improvement is a personalized strategy, and the scheduling is different for every patient," said Cynthia Russell, associate professor in the MU Sinclair School of Nursing. "Finding the right place and time for patients to take medications can be as simple as storing the pill bottles in their cars so their medication will be available for them to take during the morning commute to work."
Kidney patients were considered for the study, and found the strategy to be thrice as much effective.
Russell suggested that the patients get recommendations and help from nurses a few months after they return to normal routine.
"Ideally, all patients should use electronic monitoring pill bottles because it enables them to see computerized graphs of their previous month's medication schedules and medication taking," Russell said. "We found that patients enjoyed seeing their results at each meeting and were interested in receiving the feedback."
Most of those who have had a kidney transplants, about 35 per cent of them were found to be not taking medicines regularly. About 75 per cent of them don’t take medications at correct intervals. Doctors note its quire important that they take their dosages correctly as otherwise it might lead to rejection of organs or even death.