MedAdNews and Guildeline surveyed consumers and physicians to determine their attitudes about patient compliance. I attended their breakfast launch to hear the results and the panel discussion on Wednesday 06.27.07. Most of what they discovered I knew, however I was surprised by some of the stats which I will share here.
Morris Whitcup and Al Koster, both from Guideline, are credited as the authors of this study which was published as The Trend Report in June's MedAdNews. I am going to focus on the facts that I find interesting and were new to me, there is plenty more data in the report which I am not going to address.
Of those polled, 59% (6 in 10) said they were noncompliant during the past year. Pretty Standard.
They broke down the noncompliant by Behaviorally Noncompliant (BN) and Attitudinally Noncompliant (AN). I had never heard of that breakdown and think it is an interesting measure. 27% (1 in 4) of respondents were attitudinally noncompliant - meaning that their answers based on the questions asked, reflected a noncompliant attitude. There was also crossover with behaviorally noncompliant in this group.
After accounting the overlap with the two groups, Guideline found that 64% (2 in 3) polled were noncompliant.
Attitudinally Only: 5%
Behaviorally Only: 37%
Both: 22%
Neither: 36%
The results using this BN and AN were fascinating, as the AN were the most interested in learning more about medications, would be more compliant if they understood the importance of taking medications (60%), were the most knowledgeable in the family about medications (59%), and thought it was OK to skip a dosage or two (39%).
The AH did admit to not being as careful as they should about taking their medications properly (67%) and thankfully the majority said they were more careful with their children's medication that their own (61%). So pretty big numbers, some disturbing, some disappointing - 50% wished their doctor spent more time with them explaining their medication.
The physician's understanding or ideas about patient compliance were a little off the real numbers. Before that though, how long do you think the average doctor spends explaining medications to their patients? 2.9 minutes per the consumers, 3.2 mins per the physicians. That horrifies me. I do not go to the doctor that often, but at my first physical in 6 years Dr. Lim put me on Tricor for my trigliceride levels (diet, lack of exercise and inherited traits were the cause).
I did not time her, but it felt a lot longer than 3 minutes - the reason, what it does, the dosage, the side effects, how long I have to take it - could it all be summed up in three minutes? I also had two telephone conversations with her about it - lab tests, was it working, etc... Maybe I'm wrong about the time, but it is a pretty simple statin. I can't imagine if I had to take a complicated schedule with multiple medications and only have 3 minutes to get everything straight? No wonder the noncompliance rates are so high.
More to come.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Patient Compliance: Is There a Solution?
I went to the Guideline/MedAdNews breakfast launch of their report, Patient Compliance: Is There a Solution, on Wednesday and learned some interesting facts from their online poll of patients and doctors.
I am still digesting the information and will post the results and my comments soon.
I am still digesting the information and will post the results and my comments soon.
It's Always Nice to Be Recognized
It happens to me a lot when I walk down the street, but not for my blog, until now. Dr. Showalter from AlignMap gave me a "shout out" in his blog which you can read at: http://alignmap.com/category/blog/. Just scroll down to his 06.20.07 entry.
He was very complimentary and I thank him for that. He is the authority on Medication Noncompliance and I often read his website for his new findings, articles and studies related to compliance issues.
If you visit the blog, you will see a bit about Ted Nugent - if not, here is a great quote from the Motor City Madman from a CNN interview regarding his take on national healthcare and personal responsibility: If you don’t care about your health, how dare you ask for healthcare.
Eventhough I do not agree with most of Ted Nugent's politics, Dr. Showalter suggested he would be a great celebrity spokesperson for noncompliance. If I recall from his VH1 show, he doesn't take crap or excuses from anyone. I can only imagine him chasing overweight noncompliant diabetics around with his bow, yelling at them to take their medication and lose weight. I would like that.
On another note, Ted has done a lot for underprivileged kids with his camp (like Don Imus whom I do not particularly like either) and he should be lauded for that.
He was very complimentary and I thank him for that. He is the authority on Medication Noncompliance and I often read his website for his new findings, articles and studies related to compliance issues.
If you visit the blog, you will see a bit about Ted Nugent - if not, here is a great quote from the Motor City Madman from a CNN interview regarding his take on national healthcare and personal responsibility: If you don’t care about your health, how dare you ask for healthcare.
Eventhough I do not agree with most of Ted Nugent's politics, Dr. Showalter suggested he would be a great celebrity spokesperson for noncompliance. If I recall from his VH1 show, he doesn't take crap or excuses from anyone. I can only imagine him chasing overweight noncompliant diabetics around with his bow, yelling at them to take their medication and lose weight. I would like that.
On another note, Ted has done a lot for underprivileged kids with his camp (like Don Imus whom I do not particularly like either) and he should be lauded for that.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Antibiotic Noncompliance
I found this article by Jill Stein in Medical News Today! - obviously it is a little dated.
NICE, FRANCE, April 20, 2006- Only slightly more than a third of individuals polled in a recent global survey know that noncompliance with a prescription for antibiotics can lead to antibiotic resistance, according to data recently released at the 16th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID).
Researchers involved in the COMPLy (Compliance, Modalities by Population, Lifestyle and Geography) survey examined noncompliance rates and factors affecting noncompliance in 4,500 persons who were 18 years of age or older and had taken a self-administered antibiotic over the last year.
Participants, who were drawn from eleven countries, were considered noncompliant if they had omitted doses or days or if they had leftover antibiotics even though they had been told to take them until they were gone.
Overall, 22 percent of respondents said they had not complied with their last antibiotic treatment, and the noncompliance rate exceeded 30 percent in some countries, COMPly Steering Committee Chairman Jean-Claude Pechere, MD, emeritus professor of medicine at the University of Geneva in Geneva, Switzerland, said. Fifty one percent believed that leftover antibiotics could be saved and used later on, and 73 percent of those who had leftover antibiotics said they saved them.
Not surprisingly, the number of doses per day was directly correlated with noncompliance. Thus, a 15 percent noncompliance rate was noted in persons taking one dose per day versus 27 percent in persons taking three or more doses per day.
Eighty percent of those polled believed that antibiotic-resistant germs represent a serious problem but only 61 percent knew that improper antibiotic use can diminish efficacy.
Dr. Pechere said that misperceptions about appropriate antibiotic use is the main reason for noncompliance in some countries, while a lack of faith in their doctor's ability and concern about their doctor's ability to manage their illness may be a more important factor for patients in other countries.
Results also identified age as an important factor. Of respondents 18 to 29 years of age, 30 percent were noncompliant versus 14 percent of persons 60 years of age or older.
Antibiotic resistance is considered a major public health concern.
Pfizer Inc. funded the COMPLy survey.
By Jill Stein
NICE, FRANCE, April 20, 2006- Only slightly more than a third of individuals polled in a recent global survey know that noncompliance with a prescription for antibiotics can lead to antibiotic resistance, according to data recently released at the 16th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID).
Researchers involved in the COMPLy (Compliance, Modalities by Population, Lifestyle and Geography) survey examined noncompliance rates and factors affecting noncompliance in 4,500 persons who were 18 years of age or older and had taken a self-administered antibiotic over the last year.
Participants, who were drawn from eleven countries, were considered noncompliant if they had omitted doses or days or if they had leftover antibiotics even though they had been told to take them until they were gone.
Overall, 22 percent of respondents said they had not complied with their last antibiotic treatment, and the noncompliance rate exceeded 30 percent in some countries, COMPly Steering Committee Chairman Jean-Claude Pechere, MD, emeritus professor of medicine at the University of Geneva in Geneva, Switzerland, said. Fifty one percent believed that leftover antibiotics could be saved and used later on, and 73 percent of those who had leftover antibiotics said they saved them.
Not surprisingly, the number of doses per day was directly correlated with noncompliance. Thus, a 15 percent noncompliance rate was noted in persons taking one dose per day versus 27 percent in persons taking three or more doses per day.
Eighty percent of those polled believed that antibiotic-resistant germs represent a serious problem but only 61 percent knew that improper antibiotic use can diminish efficacy.
Dr. Pechere said that misperceptions about appropriate antibiotic use is the main reason for noncompliance in some countries, while a lack of faith in their doctor's ability and concern about their doctor's ability to manage their illness may be a more important factor for patients in other countries.
Results also identified age as an important factor. Of respondents 18 to 29 years of age, 30 percent were noncompliant versus 14 percent of persons 60 years of age or older.
Antibiotic resistance is considered a major public health concern.
Pfizer Inc. funded the COMPLy survey.
By Jill Stein
Thursday, June 21, 2007
AARP Members Rally For Lower Drug Prices
This falls under one of the reasons people on a budget are noncompliant with their medication. There is only so much people can pay for their prescriptions when they are on a fixed income or have low income. On Long Island, the elderly are doing something about it. Over 100 AARP members rallied NY state lawmakers to pass a bill to make prescription drugs more affordable. The members had a whistle stop tour of 15 district offices of state sentators and assembly members is Suffolk and Nassau Counties.
They are supporting a bill that passed last year in the Assembly requiring drug companies to report all gifts to doctors over $75 BUT, due to big pharma pressure, the Senate failed to act on the bill.
"We want to be sure that the drugs that end up in our medicine cabinets are there for the right reason -- because they are best drug for the best price, not because of a slick sales pitch and a nice meal," said Adele Klenk, Volunteer Regional Coordinator for AARP on Long Island.
I think it is grand that the AARP members get out there and let their voice be heard to their representatives. If they cannot afford to continue with the newest medications there are prescribed, then they obviously will not get better and possibly die. This is no good to anyone - doctor loses patient, pharma loses customer. Family loses loved one. Keep those prices affordable and keep compliant!
They are supporting a bill that passed last year in the Assembly requiring drug companies to report all gifts to doctors over $75 BUT, due to big pharma pressure, the Senate failed to act on the bill.
"We want to be sure that the drugs that end up in our medicine cabinets are there for the right reason -- because they are best drug for the best price, not because of a slick sales pitch and a nice meal," said Adele Klenk, Volunteer Regional Coordinator for AARP on Long Island.
I think it is grand that the AARP members get out there and let their voice be heard to their representatives. If they cannot afford to continue with the newest medications there are prescribed, then they obviously will not get better and possibly die. This is no good to anyone - doctor loses patient, pharma loses customer. Family loses loved one. Keep those prices affordable and keep compliant!
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