What Tends to Go Wrong With Medication Adherence?

This article looks at special conditions that weren’t covered in previous articles. Interventions Must Be Tailored Reminders lie at the core of many IT solutions to medication adherence. But a mechanistic delivery of generic messages with no particular appeal to a patient’s needs and values will usually be a waste. As Bryan Hill, VP of digital health and innovation at Cognizant, says, “Nudge, but don’t nag.” I am personally annoyed by the messages my pharmacy and insurance company send me to remind me to order my medication. These messages arrive when a couple months of my current prescriptions remain, so they’re asking me to get medication that will age before I take it. More pointedly, I’ve been taking some of these drugs for more than 20 years and I have never missed a renewal, so you think the insurer would notice and let me alone. Many of my correspondents emphasized that the failure to take medication is part of a larger Gestalt, or the patient’s lifestyle and culture. We must make sure the medication fits into the lifestyle and culture, because the patient is unlikely to change them. The richness and complexity of these factors go far beyond the social determinants of health that are currently captured. A sophisticated extension of messaging, adapted to patient needs, was suggested by Rich Steinle, CEO of Carium. A depressed person often has trouble taking action, including the action of consuming the medicine that might...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - Category: Information Technology Authors: Tags: Ambulatory Analytics/Big Data Clinical Communication and Patient Experience Health IT Company Healthcare IT Hospital - Health System LTPAC AristaMD Babylon Health Bethany Doran Bryan Hill Carium Cognizant Colin Banas DrFirst Source Type: blogs