| Patient Adherence to Pharmacological Therapy |
Certified for 1 Category 1 AMA Credit.
| Release Date: June 6, 2007 |
Expiration Date: June 6, 2010 |
Target Audience
Objectives
Source
CME Participation
Accreditation & Credit
Introduction
Case 1
Case Question #1
References
| Upon
completion of this CME activity, participants should be able to: |
- Review the many barriers to patient adherence - namely with pharmacological therapy.
- Discuss practical ways to improve patient adherence with medications.
- Effectively address financial issues that may prevent patients from adhering to pharmacological therapy.
- Describe how to tailor these interventions to fit a patient's individual needs.
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| FACULTY: |
Jennifer L. Cawood, MS
Medical Writer / Certified Health Education Specialist |
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The faculty has no commercial affiliations to disclose.
Because of the nature of preliminary studies, some products
mentioned are unlabeled and investigational. Dosages,
indications, and methods of use of drugs mentioned in
this publication may reflect the experience of the authors,
clinical literature, or other resources. Therefore, please
see the full prescribing information before using any
licensed product mentioned. |
| To
participate in this online course
for CME credit, please review the
objectives before beginning the program.
Complete the course and the self-assessment
test before June 6, 2010 to receive
CME credit. Your certificate will
then be available online. This process
should take approximately 1 hour. |
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The
University of Alabama School of
Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation
Council for Continuing Medical
Education to provide continuing
medical education for physicians.
The
University of Alabama School of
Medicine designates this educational
activity for a maximum of 1 AMA
PRA Category 1 Credit™.
Physicians should only claim credit
commensurate with the extent of
their participation in the activity.
The
boards of nursing in many states,
including Alabama, recognize Category
1 continuing medical education
courses as acceptable activities
for the renewal of license to practice
nursing. |
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| Dosages, indications, and methods of use of any drug referred
to in this publication may reflect the clinical experience
of the authors, clinical literature, or other clinical
resources. Therefore, please see the full prescribing
information before using any product mentioned. UAB
is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution. |
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Even the most conscientious patient at one time or another, without telling his provider, has failed to finish that course of antibiotics or stopped taking that medication because it made him feel sluggish, dizzy, or sleepy; skipped just one dose (or was it two?) because she left it at home; wasn’t quite sure about the directions (was she supposed to take it with or without food?); or just plain forgot. There are many barriers to patient adherence with medications, as well as with lifestyle recommendations. Patient adherence to medications hovers around 50% and is much lower for lifestyle prescriptions.[1] Non-adherence has always been an issue, but the current healthcare climate of soaring costs and the ripple effect of pay-for-performance mechanisms is heightening this concern. As health plans adopt pay-for-performance mechanisms, designed to financially reward doctors based upon the quality of their care, many physicians are worried that non-adherent patients will prevent them from achieving a predetermined benchmark of performance that they must reach to be financially rewarded.[2] The March 2007 issue of Medical Economics cites a Consumer Reports National Research Center survey in which doctors rank non-adherence #1 among troublesome patient behaviors.[2] Many physicians can relate to the Case Study of Mrs. S. |
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Mrs. S. is a 63-year-old African American woman (BMI 30.0 kg/m2) with newly diagnosed Stage 2 hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes mellitus who was started on therapy six months ago. Initial laboratory tests revealed that her electrolytes were normal. Her initial blood glucose was 150 mg/dL (fasting), and her HbA1C was 9.7. Her lipid panel was as follows: LDL 166 mg/dL; HDL 44 mg/dL; Triglycerides 150 mg/dL; Total Cholesterol 240 mg/dL. She has been advised to increase her physical activity, reduce her sodium intake, and adopt a diet low in saturated and total fat. She has been prescribed hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg/day, Lotensin 20mg/day, metformin 500mg twice daily, Avandia 4 mg/day, and Lipitor 40mg/day and asked to follow up monthly. Mrs. S. has missed three follow up appointments within the last six months. Follow-up laboratory tests reveal that these conditions remain poorly controlled.
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