Group tries to simplify drug labels to help people get the proper doses

The Washington Post (online edition)
February 15, 2011

"Take two tablets by mouth twice daily." This printed instruction, common on prescription pill bottles, might seem straightforward. Yet in a study nearly half of patients misunderstood what it or other common label instructions meant...

Medication compliance - or "adherence," as it's called - is a big problem. Even though 87 percent of people in a recent survey said they thought prescription medicines were important to their health, only about half take their drugs as directed. People skip doses, take the wrong number of pills and take pills at the wrong time of day, among many other problems. Poor adherence results in up to $290 billion in medical expenses each year, according to NEHI, a health research organization.

Link to Full Article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/14/AR201102140…