Prescribing medication for illnesses is a common practice. However, getting patients to follow through and take all their medications is often difficult. Patients may start feeling better a few days into treatment, so they simply forego finishing their prescription. Or maybe they don't like the side effects the medicine causes, they fear becoming dependent, or their schedule doesn't allow for proper adherence. Whatever the case, 75% of patients do not take medication as prescribed. This causes issues in terms of built-up immunity to the medication, a mutation of the illness so that stronger medication must be used in order to treat, and even 125,000 annual deaths.
In order to help with this issue, PillJogger is now available. Through the use of the FICO Medication Adherence Score, the company can identify patients that are more likely not to adhere to medication schedules. By using this information, patients can receive communication and reminders in the form of emails, letters, or phone calls to encourage medication adherence. This brings in the human touch and will increase the likelihood that patients will follow through with proper treatment.
By combining available technology, the medical industry can make sure that patients receive the best care possible and that their health outcomes are improved over current rates. By making it a team effort, everyone can benefit.
Thanks for bringing this issue to light. Nonadherence is currently a huge problem in the U.S., however it's not all due to people not just taking medication that has been filled at the pharmacy. Millions of Americans don't even fill or refill their prescriptions. Hopefully technology will be ale to help these people, too.
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