Multifaceted Strategies can Improve Patients' Medication Adherence

Drug Topics: The Newsmagazine for Pharmacists
November 15, 2010

Interventions for medication adherence should be multifaceted, speakers told attendees at the recent Pharmacy and Technology Conference in San Diego sponsored by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.

Different patients have different reasons for poor adherence, and simple interventions usually address only one reason for poor adherence, said David Nau, PhD, RPh, CPHQ, senior director for research and performance measurement, Pharmacy Quality Alliance, and Rick Mohall, PharmD, director of field clinical services, Rite Aid.

In the United States alone, the cost of medication nonadherence is more than $170 billion annually. According to the New England Healthcare Institute (NEHI), 13% of total healthcare expenditures may be due to poor medication adherence, and nearly $300 billion is wasted because patients don't take their medications.

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