PHM 301

COMPLIANCE
WHAT IS COMPLIANCE
 Medication compliance is the act of taking medication on schedule or
taking medication as prescribed

 It is defined as how well a patient follows the directions written on a

prescription

 Medication non-compliance can be defined as either the intentional

or unwitting failure to take medications as prescribed
 CAUSES OF NON-COMPLIANCE

 Patient-doctor relationship: There is usually no enough time for physicians to

adequately interact with patients due to busy schedules. There is need for
digging deeper by asking specific questions from patients to have a clear
record of their drug taking habit.

 Forgetfulness: Some patients are so busy that they forget while some have
cognitive deficiency that contributes to forgetfulness. This can be addressed
by simplifying dosage regimen, linking dosage regimen to daily routine, using
pill card or pill organizers.
 Patient’s lack of understanding: most patient’s don’t
understand the consequence of skipping doses, some
simply discontinue medication once they feel better.
Physician needs to help them understand side effects,
why they are taking the medication and why they need
to stick to the dosage regimen.

 Cultural or religious biases: Some patient’s have some

beliefs that doesn’t allow for compliance, for instance,
some believe that God does not ask them to take drugs.
 Cost: Some patients find it difficult to keep purchasing their
medications due to increasing cost, physicians should prescribed generic
drugs rather than a fixed product.

 Physical impairments: Patient’s may have difficulty seeing or hearing

thereby misunderstanding the information about medication. It is
usually advised that such patients come with a family member to clinic.

 Fear: Patients may discontinue a medication due to the side effects

experienced from the drug or seen in a friend or family member.

 Too many medications: It becomes more difficult to comply to dosage

regiment with increasing number of drugs to be taken.
 EFFECTS OF NON-COMPLIANCE

 Not taking the right dose—or abandoning treatment

altogether—can deteriorate a patient’s health condition,
increase the risk of disease progression, and lead to
prolonged hospitalization.
 Non-compliance doesn’t just affect individual patients and
their loved ones, it also takes a financial toll on them.
 Research has found that morbidity and mortality associated
with poor medication adherence costs $528.4 billion annually.
By making it easier for patients to follow their prescription
regimens, we can keep people healthier while reducing
unnecessary strain on the economy.