TIPHealth® is dedicated to Improving Treatment and Medication Adherence in America

Medication non-adherence is an enormous problem that is largely unaddressed by the healthcare system.

Researchers have been studying the cause of medication non-adherence for decades and hundreds of papers have been published.  Some of the findings may surprise you.  For example, younger people often have worse medication adherence rates than the elderly. 

In addition, most people do not consciously decide to stop taking their medication. Instead, they intend to take it. Then, they forget a few times and get out of the habit until they eventually stop taking the medication altogether—it falls out of their consciousness.

In 2011, CVS/Express Scripts ran a large pilot study with 600,000 patients to determine the core cause of medication non-adherence.  According to the Express Scripts pilot study findings: “In contrast to the common belief that patients are nonadherent due to cost or clinical concerns, we found that over two-thirds of nonadherence was due to inattention and procrastination—39% of nonadherent patients simply forgot to take their medications.

Technology-enabled treatment and medication adherence programs may be the key to providing an ideal patient connection:  Continuous, Tailored and Actionable.  These types of health technology adherence programs are designed to motivate patients to Think Health for a Change®, and to guide patients in making positive health choices; in learning the skills they need to overcome everyday medication challenges and to thrive. 

Image from pillsy.com.