What is Medication Management?
Prescription medications are only effective when they are taken – and taken correctly!
Medication management is the monitoring of medications a patient takes to confirm the patient is complying with a medication regimen, while also ensuring the patient is avoiding potentially dangerous drug interactions and other complications. Adherence to a prescribed regimen is critical for patients taking large numbers of medications to address chronic illnesses and multiple diseases.
How often do people take their medication incorrectly?
- Approximately 342 people die every day (125,000 Americans die annually) due to poor medication adherence
- One study found non-compliance in 86% of those on 3+ medications
- 55% of older patients don’t take their medicine correctly, and the risk for drug errors in seniors is 7 times that of people 65 and younger
- 30 to 50% of ALL patients ignore or otherwise compromise instructions concerning their medication, forget to take their medication completely or take it at the wrong time
- Noncompliance is responsible for 23% – 40% of nursing home admissions & up to 28% of hospital admissions
- A study of diabetics & heart disease patients found death rates among those who were least compliant were nearly double those with the best compliance
How does an automated pill dispenser help?
Automated dispensers can reduce common errors such as:
- Forgetting to take your medicine
- Discontinuing taking your medication prematurely
- Not filling or refilling a prescription
- Taking the incorrect medication or dosage
- Taking the right medication at the wrong time
- Double dosing – taking two pills to make up for a skipped one
How does an automated medication dispenser work?
Medications are loaded into individual dosage cups by a licensed professional or caregiver, and locked (if necessary). When the time comes to take medication, the dispenser alerts the patient with an audible and visual alarm and unlocks that day’s dosage in the appropriate intervals throughout the day. If the patient does not respond to the alarm or does not take the pills as dispensed, an alert is sent to the call center or the caregiver, prompting a series of calls or alerts to the appropriate personnel to make sure the patient takes the pill or is doing okay. Secure web access provides 24/7 real-time information about adherence and the status of the dispenser. Reports and alerts can also be sent to and shared with a caregiver, family member or physician.
Maya MedMinder System www.medminder.com
Senticare Medication Adherence Service www.senticare.com