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The High
Cost of Stopping High Blood Pressure Medicine
Millions of Americans
have high blood pressure but 50% of the people that are prescribed
high blood pressure medicines stop taking them within the first
twelve months of treatment. Only 75% of those who keep taking
their medicine take enough to control their blood pressures
adequately. This can lead to life-threatening complications,
such as heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney damage or
eye damage. The problem is so serious that the Joint National
Committee on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood
Pressure stated that "the major problem" in high blood pressure
control is noncompliance with long-term treatment.
Patient
Education Works
Studies repeatedly show that patient education works. Home
medication errors fall dramatically (up to 50%) and people have
fewer side effects, fewer doctor visits, fewer hospital admissions
...and a higher quality of life when they are given the information
they need to take a drug safely.
The health care system will never
be able to make drug therapy safe and effective if steps are
not taken to include the consumer as a full-fledged partner
in the drug therapy "system". It does not matter if
a medication is a "miracle drug"... it won't
work if the patient is not given enough information, counseling
and feedback to take it correctly.
A National
Public Health Issue
The United States spends as much money to treat the complications
of home medication errors as we do to purchase all the medications
in the US. Three years ago, we were spending $76 billion a year
to purchase medications in the US and another $76 billion to
treat the complications that people have when they do not understand
how to take their medications. The cost of home medication errors
rises much higher ($180 billion+) when we include the costs
to an employer for absenteeism, on-the-job injuries, etc. Home
medication errors are really a national public health issue
that is harming patients and the health care system, as well
as the productivity of our nation.
When a person is not well-informed
and motivated to manage the treatment in a safe and wise manner,
the cost of the treatment goes up for both the consumer and
the health care insurance plan. The answer is to educate people
so they can learn how to manage their medications wisely and
safely. This will reap billions of dollars in cost-savings and
will free up dollars so that health professionals can be reimbursed
for the time it takes to counsel people adequately.
Prescription drugs used wisely can save
lives. They should not be causing such high rates of medical
complications and deaths because people are not being adequately
counseled and monitored.
(Click here
to read summary of Consumer Health Information Corporation presentation
at FDA/National Patient Safety Foundation Conference.)
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