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National Safety Month
June is National Safety Month and while you should always be safety conscious, we felt this was a great opportunity to highlight a lesser known safety topic – medication adherence! Whether you’re supporting your employees or managing your own health, medication adherence is a critical component.
Medication Adherence is An Important Safety Factor in Managing Chronic Conditions
Every year there are more than 125,000 pre-mature deaths due to medication non-adherence in the U.S. Many people are non-adherent because they don’t remember to take their medication or they can’t afford their medication, so they don’t take their medication without realizing the health and safety risks that can occur. Encouraging better safety medication practices improves overall health and reduces total health care costs..
More than 145 million Americans suffer from chronic conditions. Most chronic conditions are managed through medications prescribed by doctors and many times patients don’t understand the importance of taking a medication as prescribed. However, for some it can mean additional health problems when adherence is not followed.. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that non-adherence caused 30-50 percent of chronic disease treatment failures2 and those who stopped treatment were likely to experience more problems.
Tips for Medication Management:
Take medication at the same time every day.
Include your medication with a daily routine. (i.e brushing your teeth or getting ready for bed) Before choosing a mealtime for your routine, check if your medication should be taken on a full or empty stomach. Also, check if your medication should be taken in the AM or PM
Keep a “medicine calendar” with your medication and note each time you take or miss a dose.
Use a pill container. Some have sections for multiple doses at different times, such as morning, lunch, evening, and even weeks.
When travelling, be certain to bring enough of your medication, plus a few days extra, in case your return is delayed. Always travel with medication in your carry on, incase of lost luggage and temperature regulations.
Have questions regarding your medication?
Tria Health’s Pharmacy Advocate Program offers one-on-one, private consultations with a Tria Health Pharmacist. Your pharmacist will work with you and your doctor(s) to ensure the intended outcomes from your medications are being received.
Call the Tria Help Desk with any questions at 1.888.799.8742
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