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 “Drugs don’t work in patients who don’t take them.”
- C. Everett Koop, M.D, Former U.S. Surgeon General
The 21st Century is an exciting and optimistic time in healthcare. Average life expectancy in the United States has reached its highest level ever, 77.8 years! Diseases that were once expected to always cut life short are now being treated as chronic conditions that people can live with for many years if properly managed: diabetes, congestive heart failure, HIV/AIDS, hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, among others. The ability to successfully manage these conditions is dependent on many factors. Adherence to your medications is one important factor in maintaining your health. Studies have shown that increasing adherence to medications leads to better health outcomes. Consider the possibilities when you’re in good health!
Here are a few of the many articles that have been published in the scientific literature regarding the importance of adherence to medications:
1. Ho, P.M., Rumsfeld, J.S., Masoudi, F., McClure D., Plomondon, M., Steiner, J., Magid, D., Effect of Medication Nonadherence on Hospitalization and Mortality Among Patients With Diabetes Mellitus. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2006;166(17):1836-1841
2. Gehi, A. K., Ali, S., Na, B., Whooley, M. A., Self-reported Medication Adherence and Cardiovascular Events in Patients With Stable Coronary Heart Disease: The Heart and Soul Study. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2007. 167: 1798-1803
3. Simpson SH, Eurich DT, Majumdar SR, et al., A meta-analysis of the association between adherence to drug therapy and mortality. British Medical Journal. 2006;333:15.
4. Ho, P. M., Peterson, E. D., Wang, L., Magid, D. J., Fihn, S. D., Larsen, G. C., Jesse, R. A., Rumsfeld, J. S., Incidence of Death and Acute Myocardial Infarction Associated With Stopping Clopidogrel After Acute Coronary Syndrome. Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). 2008. 299: 532-539
5. Zygmunt, A., Olfson, M., Boyer, C., Mechanic, D., Interventions to Improve Medication Adherence in Schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychiatry 2002, 159:1653-1664.
6. Burnier, M., Medication adherence and persistence as the cornerstone of effective antihypertensive therapy. American Journal of Hypertension 2006 Nov; 19(11):1190-6
7. Richardson, JL, Shelton, DR, Krailo, M, Levine, AM. The Effect of Compliance with Treatment on survival among patients with hematologic malignancies. Journal of Clinical Oncology. Volume 8, 356-364.
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