It was Hippocrates who first said what we now know to be true, “Keep a watch…on the faults of the patients, which often make them lie about the taking of things prescribed. For through not taking disagreeable drinks, purgative or other, they sometimes die.”
More than 2,000 years later, doctors and their patients still need to heed the warning of the ancient Greek, famously known as the “father of medicine.” Modern scientific studies show that only about half of patients with chronic illnesses take their medication as prescribed, and about 125,000 Americans per year die because they don’t take their medications correctly. Among mental health patients, adherence can be far worse.
There are a lot of reasons why patients don’t take their medications correctly. One of them is because managing prescriptions, especially for people who take multiple medications, can be confusing.
All those trips to the pharmacy. Medications from different doctors needing to be refilled at different times. It can add up to utter confusion.
Do I take the purple one at breakfast, or at bedtime? Are the tiny ones two pills once daily, or one pill twice daily?
Today, we have an abundance of tools readily available to us that assist us in managing our medications. We can say good-bye to sifting through a dozen (or more) pill bottles on the nightstand.
Certain pharmacies will pre-sort your pills into daily packs, which makes taking the correct medications daily simple. The packs go as far as listing what day and time to take each pack, which is crucial in receiving the best outcome possible. Most of these pharmacies will also package additional items you may need that do not come in the form of a pill.
Have trouble taking your medication in general, pre-sorted or not? With today’s technology, there are several mobile apps that will alert you when to take your medication; typically, these are also available on tablets, as well. Some provide a caregiver option, so you can help manage a loved one’s medications.
Former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. C. Everett Koop, bluntly said, “Drugs don’t work in patients who don’t take them.” This is especially true for people with chronic illnesses, whether it be IBD, HIV, or COPD.
To get started with divvyDOSE today, visit www.divvyDOSE.com or call 844.693.4889.
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