Remembering to take your medicine is the key to compliance. Medicine will be effective only when taken as prescribed by your physician. Good patient compliance and adherence means taking the right drugs, on time and in the proper doses.

World Health Organization reports that only around 50% of people typically follow their doctors' orders when it comes to taking prescription drugs -- and the rates are lower for certain medical conditions. Only 43% of patients take their medicine as prescribed to treat acute asthma. Between 40% and 70% follow the doctor's orders for depression medication. Just 51% of patients take the prescribed doses of high blood pressure medicine.

Patient Compliance

Medication non-compliance (non-adherence), the failure to take drugs on time in the dosages prescribed, is as dangerous and costly as many illnesses.

Studies have shown than non-compliance causes 125,000 deaths annually in the US (2), leads to 10 to 25 percent of hospital and nursing home admissions, and is becoming an international epidemic. It is, in the words of The New York Times (1) the world’s "other drug problem".

Negative Economic Effects of Non-Compliance

• 23% of nursing home admissions due to noncompliance (3). Cost $31.3 billion / 380,000 patients.
• 10% of hospital admissions due to noncompliance (4,5). Cost $15.2 billion / 3.5 million patients.

Prescriptions

• About 50% of the 2 billion prescriptions filled each year are not taken correctly (7).
• 1/3 of patients take all their medicine, 1/3 take some, 1/3 don't take any at all (Rx prescription never filled) (6).

Caregiving

• 25,000,000 nonprofessional caregivers in the US (8).
• 80% of nonprofessional caregivers are women (8).
• 80%-90% of people requiring care in the US receive it from family members or friends (9).

References

1. The New York Times June 2, 1998 2. Smith, D., Compliance Packaging: A Patient Education Tool, American Pharmacy, Vol. NS29, No 2 February 1989 3. Standberg, L.R., Drugs as a Reason for Nursing Home Admissions, American Health care Association Journal, 10,20 (1984). 4. Schering Report IX The Forgetful Patient: The High Cost of Improper Patient Compliance. 5. Oregon Department of Human Resources, A study of Long-Term Care in Oregon with Emphasis on the Elderly March 1981. 6. Hayes, R.B.NCPIE Prescription Month, October 1989 7. National Council for Patient Information and Education. 8. Rosalynn Carter Institute of Georgia Southwestern College. 9. Parade Magazine, 1/29/95.