by Sandra Aylward, B.Sc. (Pharm.), Division Vice-President,
Professional and Regulatory Affairs, Sobeys Pharmacy Group
How often would you guess that people take prescribed medications correctly? Would you believe that it happens only 10 percent of the time? That’s right, – 90 percent of people make mistakes when taking prescribed medications. About one-third of people take the full amount of medication prescribed, another one-third take some of their medication, and another one-third take none of the prescribed medication. One in five people don’t even get the prescription filled at the pharmacy in the first place!
What does this mean for our health? It means poor treatment results, leading to illness and lost workdays, hospital admissions, nursing home admissions, and worse.
Why does this happen and how can we get better results when we need to take medication?
When we think about the challenges people face in using medications, it’s not surprising that they often don’t use them correctly.
Compare a treatment like drug therapy to a treatment like surgery. The amount of responsibility and effort required from the person being treated with drug therapy is much greater and over a longer period of time. Drug therapy requires your active participation every day, often, several times a day. It is a major commitment. Your pharmacist can help you to meet this commitment, by giving you ideas and support to overcome the everyday challenges. Think of your pharmacist as a source of advice, as a coach, and as your medication manager.
People are more likely to succeed in using prescribed medications correctly (and therefore get better results) when they are committed to the drug therapy and have strategies to overcome the challenges they face. (See “Challenges” in the table below.) A person’s agreement to use a prescribed medication will be based on answers to questions like: “Do I understand and believe in the diagnosis my doctor has made?” “Do I understand what this drug is supposed to do for me, and do I believe that it will work?” “Am I prepared to spend the time, effort, and money required to take this drug?”
In the end, it is always your decision whether or not to take a drug that has been recommended or prescribed for you. It is the responsibility of your doctor and your pharmacist to ensure that you have the best information in making this decision. Whatever you decide, it is important that you be completely honest with your doctor and pharmacist about it.
Once you’ve decided that taking the drug is the right choice, your pharmacist can help you to understand the important issues with the particular drug, including everything from when you can expect to see some benefit to how to manage side effects. Even though you may have a detailed discussion with your pharmacist when you first fill your prescription, keep in mind that it will be impossible to remember everything you talk about at that time. You’ll need to refer to written information that your pharmacist may provide, and contact the pharmacy regularly as questions arise. Learning about how to use a medication correctly is not a one-time effort–it’s a process.
Drug therapy requires a significant commitment on your part. As your medication manager, your pharmacist can help you to maximize the benefits to your health from your investment of time, energy, and effort.
| Challenges to Using Medication Correctly | As Your Medication Manager, Your Pharmacist Can: |
| I don’t understand why I’m taking this drug. | - Explain the role of this drug therapy in your particular situation and answer your questions at any time. |
| This drug costs too much. | - Explore the pros and cons of less costly alternatives with you and your doctor. |
| I’m taking too many drugs–it’s complicated. | - Review your entire drug therapy and work with your doctor to simplify if possible.
- Co-ordinate your refill schedule for all your medications. - Provide special packaging (“blister” packs) to help you keep track of each dose of medication. |
| I don’t like the way this drug makes me feel. | - Provide information about the effects you’re feeling, including whether or not they’re drug related, whether they’ll go away, and how to manage or eliminate them. - If needed, we can work with your doctor to find an alternative medication. |
| It’s a chore to have my prescriptions refilled. | - Have your refills ready if you call ahead.
- Send you a reminder by telephone when it is time to refill your prescription. - Arrange to prepare your refills automatically when they are due and notify you. - Some pharmacies deliver your medications to your home or workplace. |
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