By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    UV damage to eyes
    Warning Signs of Long-Term UV Damage to Your Eyes
    December 9, 2021
    degree for healthcare job
    The Ultimate Healthcare Recruiting and Staffing Guidebook
    March 21, 2022
    medicare part d benefits
    Everything that You Need to Know About Medicare Part D
    August 15, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Should Non-Physician PhDs be Called “Doctor” and be Practicing Medicine?
    November 1, 2011
    Medicare Now Provides Coverage for Obesity Treatment and Prevention
    December 3, 2011
    CMS to Announce ACO Regs Soon
    August 26, 2017
    Latest News
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
    Strengthening Healthcare Systems Through Clinical and Administrative Career Development
    June 13, 2025
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
    The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
    May 14, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Blister Pack Adoption Increases Medication Adherence, Save Lives
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Wellness > Blister Pack Adoption Increases Medication Adherence, Save Lives
Wellness

Blister Pack Adoption Increases Medication Adherence, Save Lives

Khellendos
Last updated: June 25, 2015 8:00 am
Khellendos
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

The United States health care system proves that cost doesn’t always equate to quality. The U.S. health care industry is the most expensive in the world, but it underperforms on most dimensions in comparison to other advanced countries. Decreasing the drastic amounts of overspending is one important step to put the U.S.

The United States health care system proves that cost doesn’t always equate to quality. The U.S. health care industry is the most expensive in the world, but it underperforms on most dimensions in comparison to other advanced countries. Decreasing the drastic amounts of overspending is one important step to put the U.S. health care industry on better footing, and perhaps the simplest way to slim down the $3.8 trillion spent on health care is by addressing patients’ poor prescription drug adherence.

Encouraging people to create positive medication adherence habits is important for the patient and for society itself, because failing to do so is dangerous and costly. And these expensive choices add up fast.

In 2014, pharmaceuticals spending in the United States rose to nearly $374 billion, and responsible medication usage can eliminate $105 billion annually in avoidable health care costs. When people— especially chronically ill patients—fail to take their medicine properly they create unnecessary strain on the health care system. Poor medication compliance leads to an estimated 10 to 25 percent of nursing home and hospital admissions, 30 to 50 percent of treatment failures, and an annual 125,000 preventable deaths.

More Read

Class Helps People Help Elders
CarePlanners New Model for Helping Mom and Dad
Health Benefits Of The 3 Main Kinds Of Meat
What Really Needs To Be Done About the Critical Shortages of Cancer Drugs
How Is Anxiety Reducing Medication Used for Losing Weight?

However, studies show that we can curb this medication misuse by repackaging prescription drugs into blister packs and other unit-of-use methods.

It’s easy to understand that swallowing a few pills each day is a lot less expensive, less painful and less time consuming than extra doctor visits, surgeries and hospital bills. But it’s also easy to not do what we know is the best course of action. That’s why chronic use of self-administered medication has an average non-adherence rate of 50 percent. And the leading causes of that non-adherence are not surprising to anybody who has tried to maintain a treatment schedule. The biggest reason is forgetfulness, which can lead to missed medications, under-dosage, over-dosage and erratic dosage. Otherwise, patients might not understand the illness, or they may play with their dosage or medications to “test out” the efficacy of certain medications. This often includes cutting back or eliminating doses without letting their doctors know.

But those adherence numbers can improve up to nearly 97 percent adherence in some situations when the person’s medications were packaged in blister packs, which designate which pills to take and when to take them. They’re often interactive and include calendars to make it easier for patients to know how much medicine is left, if they’ve taken the drug that day which avoids over-dosing.

This is most prevalent in the elderly, children and adolescents and can have disastrous health and economic effects that last a lifetime. About two-thirds of kids with chronic illnesses are on prescribed medications, half of which fail to properly maintain their treatment, according to a study published in September 2013 in the journal Pediatrics.

If something relatively simple, like giving patients medications in different packaging, can change how efficient people are when adhering to their treatment regiment, it’s an industry responsibility to do this. A new presentation and packaging method will save money, lives and resources. How can we not pursue this change?

 Image via Shutterstock 

TAGGED:Healthcaremedicinepatient adherencepharmaceuticals
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

healthcare facilities
Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
Global Healthcare Infographics
June 15, 2025
from gut to glow
From Plate to Wellness: How Everyday Foods Nourish Your Body Inside and Out
Dental health Infographics Specialties
June 15, 2025
beyond nutrition
Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
Health Infographics
June 15, 2025
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Therapy
How TMS Therapy Helps with Treatment-Resistant Mental Illness
Mental Health Therapies
June 13, 2025

You Might also Like

SpecialtiesWellness

4 Tips For Conquering Insomnia During Addiction Recovery

March 9, 2019
Medical InnovationsNewsWellness

Finding A Cure For Alopecia: How Close Are We?

October 30, 2018
A Guide to Healthy and Happy Aging
Wellness

Want To Live A More Fulfilling Life? Try These 5 Things

February 13, 2020

Creating the Connected Patient

September 2, 2012
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?