The Current State of Medication Adherence
“The World Health Organization (WHO) projects that only about 50 percent of patients typically take their medications as prescribed”-National Council on Patient Information and Education.

http://www.talkaboutrx.org/documents/enhancing_prescription_medicine_adherence.pdf

“Three out of every four American consumers report not always taking their prescription medicine as directed’- National Council on Patient Information and Education.

http://www.talkaboutrx.org/documents/enhancing_prescription_medicine_adherence.pdf 

http://www.talkaboutrx.org/documents/enhancing_prescription_medicine_adherence.pdf

“Between 12 percent and 20 percent of patients take other people’s medicines”- National Council on Patient Information and Education. 

http://www.talkaboutrx.org/documents/enhancing_prescription_medicine_adherence.pdf

“Studies show that about one-third of patients fully comply with recommended treatment while another third sometimes comply and one-third never comply”- National Council on Patient Information and Education. 

http://www.talkaboutrx.org/documents/enhancing_prescription_medicine_adherence.pdf

 “Although hypertension increases the risk of ischemic heart disease three-to four-fold and increases the overall cardiovascular risk by two-to three-fold, just 51 percent of patients take their prescribed doses of drugs to manage this condition” - National Council on Patient Information and Education.

http://www.talkaboutrx.org/documents/enhancing_prescription_medicine_adherence.pdf

“Duke University Medical Center reported that among the 17,000 U.S. patients prescribed beta blocker drugs following a heart attack only 45 percent regularly took these medications during the first year after leaving the hospital, with the biggest drop in adherence occurring during the initial months after hospital discharge”-Kramer et al. Evaluation of Adherence to [Beta] Blocker Therapy for 1 Year After Acute Myocardial Infarction in Patients with Commercial Health Insurance. American Heart Journal;2006:152(3).

“Less than 2 percent of adults with diabetes perform the full level of care” - National Council on Patient Information and Education. 

  http://www.talkaboutrx.org/documents/enhancing_prescription_medicine_adherence.pdf 

 “Studies have shown that between 40 percent and 75 percent of older people do not take their medications at the right time or in the right amount” - National Council on Patient Information and Education. 

http://www.talkaboutrx.org/documents/enhancing_prescription_medicine_adherence.pdf

"In 2007, 51 percent of insured Americans were taking prescription drugs to treat at least one chronic health problem”-Medco Health Solutions Report.

"Seniors on Multiple Medications: Among older Americans ages 65 and up, 28 percent of females and 22 percent of males take five or more chronic medications” -Medco Health Solutions Report.

"People aged 75 years and older take an average of 7.9 drugs per day" - National Council on Patient Information and Education.

http://www.talkaboutrx.org/documents/enhancing_prescription_medicine_adherence.pdf

"According to a 2001 survey of older Americans conducted by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), 82 percent of patients over age 65 take at least one prescription medicine, more than half (54 percent) take three of four prescription medicines, and as many as a third (33 percent) take eight or more prescription medicines to treat their health conditions”-Medication Use Among Older Americans. Research for the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. 2001. / National Council on Patient Information and Education. 

http://www.talkaboutrx.org/documents/enhancing_prescription_medicine_adherence.pdf

“Those aged 65 and over who, because they have more long-term, chronic illnesses, now buy 30 percent of all prescription medications” - National Council on Patient Information and Education.  

http://www.talkaboutrx.org/documents/enhancing_prescription_medicine_adherence.pdf

"Medication adherence leads to unnecessary disease progression, disease complications, reduced functional abilities, a lower quality of life, and even premature death, poor adherence has been estimated to cost approximately $177 billion annually in total direct and indirect health care costs”- National Council on Patient Information and Education.

http://www.talkaboutrx.org/documents/enhancing_prescription_medicine_adherence.pdf

“Medication non-adherence costs the U.S. health care system about $47 billion each year for drug-related hospitalizations” - National Council on Patient Information and Education. 

http://www.talkaboutrx.org/documents/enhancing_prescription_medicine_adherence.pdf

"In a meta-analysis of 153 studies assessing the effectiveness of different adherence interventions, those that combined educational and behavioral approaches were more successful than single-focused interventions” - National Council on Patient Information and Education.

http://www.talkaboutrx.org/documents/enhancing_prescription_medicine_adherence.pdf

"Long-term adherence requires behavioral reinforcement and patient support strategies through out the continuum of care” - National Council on Patient Information and Education.

http://www.talkaboutrx.org/documents/enhancing_prescription_medicine_adherence.pdf

"In chronic disease management, where medication is required on a continuing basis, adherence with medication regimens involves a change in behavior on the part of the patient” - National Council on Patient Information and Education.

http://www.talkaboutrx.org/documents/enhancing_prescription_medicine_adherence.pdf

"Analyses of interventions to improve adherence have generally found that simple strategies are rather ineffective, and multi-factorial and complex intervention are needed to influence behavior”-Shrank et al. Can Improved Prescription Medication Labeling Influence Adherence to Chronic Medications? An Evaluation of the Target Pharmacy Label. Society of General Internal Medicine; 2009.