You probably already know that medication non-adherence is a huge problem in the United States today. But did you know that more than 25% of people would rather get a shot in the arm and almost 50% would rather take out the trash than take their medication?! These statistics were found by the HealthPrize Medication Non-Adherence survey of 1,021 adults taking medication for chronic diseases or serious conditions. Here are some other surprising results that the survey found:

• 56% of 18-34 year olds say they stopped filling or taking their medication altogether
• 47% of 18-34 year olds say that paying for gas is more important than paying for their prescriptions; 33% say that they would be more willing to continue with medications for their pets than for themselves

What do we know about adherence?

According the World Health Organization (WHO), adherence is defined as “the extent to which a person’ s behavior—taking medication, following a diet, or making healthy lifestyle changes—corresponds with agreed-upon recommendations from a health-care provider.” Studies suggest that about 20%-50% of patients do not take their medications as prescribed and as many as 30% of medications written are never even filled. Despite WHO improvement goals, rates of adherence have not changed much from previous years.

What are the costs of medication non-adherence?

Economically, direct costs may be $100 billion up to $300 billion per year. Cost savings may also be realized through better outcomes associated with increased medication adherence. Clinically, non-adherence causes approximately 30%-50% of treatment failures, leading to thousands of deaths yearly. Improved adherence has clear benefits for patients as well as society.

What is being done to improve medication adherence?

Providers are currently the main focus of improving medication adherence. Communicating with patients can put them on the right track to better medication adherence. Providers should help to simplify medications when possible, listen to and address patient concerns, educate patients, and develop a trusting relationship. Unfortunately, the HealthPrize survey shows that this isn’t always the case.

• 23% of people surveyed say that they don’t always trust their physician and the medications they prescribe
• Almost half of those who admit to being non-adherent have trust issues with their physician

What‘s new to combat medication non-adherence?

As we see from the HealthPrize survey, taking medications has psychological components. People take out the trash because if they didn’t their house would begin to smell within a few days. But the effects of medication non-adherence in many chronic diseases might not be realized for many years until a serious event occurs. A new trend to promote medication adherence is to incentive patients for taking their medication appropriately. HeathPrize, along with other healthcare application developers, are creating ways for patients to report their adherence and be rewarded for it through points that can be redeemed for prizes. Like with many undesirable tasks, providing a more immediate incentive has the potential to increase the action.

You can find more information on the HealthPrize Medication Non-Adherence survey at www.healthprize.com

Also see PHSI’s recent review of My Medication Passport App for more on promoting medication adherence through gamification here.