Adherence to medication is vital towards successful treatment of patients with World Health Organization noting that adhering to medication can have impacts that are more significant on public health than any other improvement on the medical treatment. The U.S. pharmacist report indicates that non-adherence to medicine is a problem affecting the effectiveness of medical treatment across the American population (Feehan, Morrison, Tak, & Morisky, 2017) . The group of elderly patients is at a higher risk to non-adherence to drugs because they are under the prescription of more medicines in comparison to the younger adults. The elderly are also are vulnerable to other chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, among many other health complications. Failing to adhere to medication compromises the health of elderly patients. This essay aims at discussing medication adherence issues on geriatric patients as well as providing appropriate strategies to enhance medication adherence in elderly patients.
Management of multiple medications on elderly patients is challenging and can compromise patients’ adherence to prescribed medication (Maher, Hanlon, & Hajjar, 2014). As adults grow old, they are likely to develop health complication each requiring specific medicines and at the end, forcing an individual to have more than one medication. Managing all the medication is complex and always lead to adherence issues because, at times, the elderly patients forget to take some of the medicines affecting their ability to get well. Using the pill calendar to establish a schedule for all medications is one strategy that can help elderly patients in managing their multiple medications. Taking the medicines at a consistent time, for instance, breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as asking the family members to provide reminder can significantly improve the management of multiple medications in geriatric patients.
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The high cost of medication is another factor that influences the ability of geriatric patients to adhere to prescribed medication. Consumer reports show that in America, patients are likely to skip or cut pills in half without approval because they cannot afford or because they want to save money (Rajpura & Nayak, 2014). Skipping medication or taking half of the prescribed medications, leads to drug abuse that has a severe impact on human health, such body resistance to specific medicines complicating the treatment process. Cost is, therefore, a significant barrier to medication adherence in geriatric patients, especially those who do not have medical insurance. It is essential to discuss with the patient their ability to pay for medication during the appointment to help solve this problem. It is also vital to determine the cost of drugs when issuing a new prescription and ask the patient if they will have a challenge in paying for the new medication. Suggesting generic medicines whenever possible is also essential to patients who have difficulty in paying for their medication.
The reaction of the body upon taking medicines also affects the ability of elderly patients to adhere to prescribed medication. The increased use of medication, as well as regular body changes that occur due to aging, can lead to harmful drug reaction (Nair, Chalmers, & Peterson, 2016). The interaction of drugs and the elderly patient can cause adverse and potential side effects that discourage patients from adhering to prescribed medication. It is vital to discuss drug interactions with geriatric patients during the appointments reviewing the side effects and find the appropriate solution to the problem. It is also important to advise patients to document all the side effects that they experience upon taking the medication and share them with healthcare providers during their appointments.
Ensuring medication adherence in all the patients plays a significant role in effective treatment even though it has been a challenge for elderly patients to stick to prescribed medication because of several reasons. Having multiple medications, cost of medication and drug interaction with the patients have been the primary challenges to medication adherence in elderly patients. Having close communication with the patients enables the healthcare giver the opportunity to understand their patients and provide the appropriate solution to the issues.
References
Feehan, M., Morrison, M. A., Tak, C., & Morisky, D. E. (2017). Factors predicting self-reported medication low adherence in a large sample of adults in the US general population: a cross-sectional study. BMJ open, 7(6), 14435.
Maher, R. L., Hanlon, J., & Hajjar, E. R. (2014). Clinical consequences of polypharmacy in elderly. Expert opinion on drug safety, 13(1), 57-65.
Nair, N. P., Chalmers, L., & Peterson, G. M. (2016). Hospitalization in older patients due to adverse drug reactions–the need for a prediction tool. Clinical interventions in aging, 11, 497.
Rajpura, J., & Nayak, R. (2014). Medication adherence in a sample of elderly suffering from hypertension: evaluating the influence of illness perceptions, treatment beliefs, and illness burden. Journal of Managed Care Pharmacy, 20(1), 58-65.
