Ashok Pinnamaraju, owner of Williamson Road Pharmacy in Virginia, has worked to promote medication adherence for patients of all ages. Formerly a pharmacist at Lexcare Pharmacy in Virginia, Ashok Pinnamaraju collaborated with nursing home and assisted living managers to ensure that residents received and took the correct medications.
Approximately 50 percent of older adults with regular medication needs have trouble with compliance, and adherence tends to drop with each additional prescriptions. Reasons for non-adherence can range from cost and inconvenience of taking the medication to fears of potential side effects. Fortunately, most of these barriers to adherence are surmountable through patient education and adjustment of regimen.
For some elders, non-adherence stems from a simple inability to read instructions on a pill bottle or open the bottle itself. These are easily addressed when prescribers or pharmacists work together with caregivers to provide accessible instructions, a convenient dosing schedule, or physical support for the act of taking the medication. Cost is a logistical barrier that may be more difficult to address effectively, particularly if the patient is reluctant to admit financial challenges; however, replacement with a generic alternative can be enough in many cases.
Sometimes, the medication itself is the problem. Patients may fail to experience the benefit of the medication or have expectations of the medication that exceeds its possibilities. In some cases, pharmacists may need to explain that although the medication cannot completely cure a condition or erase its symptoms, the improvement that it does provide is measurable and worthwhile.
If side effects are present and contributing to non-adherence, the care team may need to adjust medication levels or add a supplementary medication to address the discomfort that the patient experiences. Working with the patient is important to assess whether these and other interventions are improving adherence.
Approximately 50 percent of older adults with regular medication needs have trouble with compliance, and adherence tends to drop with each additional prescriptions. Reasons for non-adherence can range from cost and inconvenience of taking the medication to fears of potential side effects. Fortunately, most of these barriers to adherence are surmountable through patient education and adjustment of regimen.
For some elders, non-adherence stems from a simple inability to read instructions on a pill bottle or open the bottle itself. These are easily addressed when prescribers or pharmacists work together with caregivers to provide accessible instructions, a convenient dosing schedule, or physical support for the act of taking the medication. Cost is a logistical barrier that may be more difficult to address effectively, particularly if the patient is reluctant to admit financial challenges; however, replacement with a generic alternative can be enough in many cases.
Sometimes, the medication itself is the problem. Patients may fail to experience the benefit of the medication or have expectations of the medication that exceeds its possibilities. In some cases, pharmacists may need to explain that although the medication cannot completely cure a condition or erase its symptoms, the improvement that it does provide is measurable and worthwhile.
If side effects are present and contributing to non-adherence, the care team may need to adjust medication levels or add a supplementary medication to address the discomfort that the patient experiences. Working with the patient is important to assess whether these and other interventions are improving adherence.
