Factors affecting medication adherence

Community Pharmacy

1. Submitted to: Mr. Ramesh (Pharm D) Submitted by: Ch. Jaya sri (16AB1T0005)

2. Factors affecting medication adherence: Age of the patient. Gender of the patient. Income. Education. Patient intelligence. Knowledge about the disease. Illness being treated. Actual seriousness of disease.

3. Actual susceptibility of disease. Actual efficiency of the treatment. Physician prediction of adherence. Marital state. Number of people in household. Clinical settings. Future of the disease. Therapeutic regimen.

4. Social and economic factor: Social and economic factor for non – adherence medication includes low health illiteracy busy schedule limited access to health care facilities inability or difficulty to accesses to the pharmacy high cost of medication cultural and lay benefits about illness and treatments.

5. Health care system factors: Factors under the health care system contribute to the medication non – adherence includes poor relationship between the provider and the patient poor communication to the provider dispensary between health benefits model of the provider and the patient.

6. Conditions related to factors (diseases/disorder factor): Conditions related to factors includes decrease in symptom severity disappearance of symptoms of patient patient with depression may not show the interest to take medication patients with psychiatric disorder do not take the medication

7. Patient related factors: Patient related factors include visual impairment cognitive impairment impair mobility or swallowing problems poor understanding about the disease conditions Adverse effects psycho social stress anxiety and anger.

8. Formula for calculation of medication adherence: Percentage adherence = total no of actual dose of the patient has consumed since last appointment Total no of calculated dose to be consumed.

9. Role of pharmacists in medication adherence: Be friendly and approachable to the patient. Improve communication skills. Take into account the spiritual and psychological needs of the patient. Improve in patient education. Encourage the patient to discuss their main concern without interruption or premature closing. Elicit the patient perception of the illness and the associated feelings and expectations. Learning methods of active listening and empathy.

10. 8 . Give clear explanation (regarding disease and drugs). 9. Check the patient understanding. 10. Simplify the therapeutic regimen. 11. Monitor the side effects. 12. Monitor the beneficial effects. 13. Speak the same language of patient. 14. Involvement of the patient treatment discussion.

11. Through the patient interview, the pharmacist can assist the patient knowledge of their drug therapy and usual medication habits. For example, dose of the patient have a set routine and his family support available to supervise the medication use. The pharmacist is also able to identify if the patient has any specific problem with the medication such as swallowing of large tablets or difficulty opening of child proof containers. References: Factors affecting medication adherence, textbook of community pharmacy, Ramesh adepu .