Medication Adherence Requires a Team-based Approach
By Pat Ford Roegner | November 2nd, 2009
As our population ages the importance of one’s ability to remain independent as long as possible will become even more important than it is today. One of the leading causes for the placement of a frail adult in a nursing home is due to non-adherence to medication regimes. In fact, 10 to 25 percent of hospital and nursing home admissions annually are because of an individual’s lack of adherence.
The American Academy of Nursing working with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has published practice guidelines for nurses working with the older adults in the community on the management of their medication. There are many risk factors that affect the individual’s adherence from physical ability to depression and beyond.
We know that nursing interventions and evidenced based transitional care innovations where an advanced practice nurse leads an interdisciplinary team can help the patient and their caregivers prevent non-intentional and/or intentional non-adherence of medications.
Both patient and financial outcomes are well served by these interventions that can help prevent costly nursing homes stays, hospitalizations, emergency room visits and improve the quality of life for patients and their families. Knowledge, understanding and support for these interventions should not be limited to any one profession regardless of the individual professional who actual delivers the specific service.
Patient and family education remains a critical factor in the complex process of medication management which has many phases and activities. More research is needed for specific interventions that work in self-management. A small amount of financial investment in the assessment and monitoring of individuals with multiple medication regimens seems like a wise investment and one that could all health professional along the way as they provide the individual with the right care at the right time.
Leave a Reply