Unit Dose Packaging Research Paper

In the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report in 2006, Preventing Medication Error, more than 1/3 of the 1.5 million adverse drug events that were recorded in the United States each year occurred in an outpatient setting. Likewise, in 2008 IOM released a report that laid emphases on the need for setting universal standards within prescribing and dispensing practices. Multiple studies reported that an increased prevalence of patient adherence to taking prescribed medications can be compromised by their inability to comprehend or understand the directions for taking the medication (Wolf et al., 2016). The inability to understand and interpret prescription drug labels were recognized as the leading cause of a large proportion of outpatient medication error and adverse events, as patients may possibly accidentally misuse a prescribed

Some of the factors that patients do not adhere to when their healthcare provider tells them too is due to patients being too busy. Often times life is very busy as we all know this but forgetting to take of yourself can have detrimental effects to your health. Some people think they can get better on their own without the help of a doctor so they feel like they will be fine or able to handle any health complication on their own. Another reason is that often people do not understand or they forget what the doctor is telling them about their prescribed treatment regimens and other patients decide to simply not follow it. As stated in the article by Sklar, Min Sen Oh & & Chuen Li, 2008 “Poor communication with healthcare providers was also likely to cause a negative effect on patient’s compliance (Bartlett et al 1984; Apter et al 1998)”. Miscommunication between a doctor and patient is at the root of most adherence problems. Often times patients leave their doctors office not knowing or having the slightest clue to what they should be doing. Instead of asking for help or clarity they just leave. Communication needs to be clear and effective for both the patient and the doctor. Non-adherence is wide spread when it comes to patients not adhering to what professionals tell them. Many patients will have significant risks because they forget,

In order to evaluate and compare medication compliance the patient’s discharge medication reconciliation were compared to patient’s medication list at time of first office visit. Of the patients in population 1 (N=82), 71 were seen back for follow up and 11 never returned. Of the 71 that returned for follow up 97.18% (N=69) were compliant with discharged core measure medications. Population 2 (N=104), 97 were seen back for follow up with 7 never returned. Of the 97 seen back for office follow up 100% (N=97) were compliant with discharged core measure medications. Statistical analysis of the two population did not find a statistically significant difference (p= 0.0991).

The critical need for better patient care is an imperative for medical facilities large and small. Increasingly stretched community clinics that provide a vital safety net to the most vulnerable populations are continually faced with the challenge of having to make improvements with dwindling resources. One such center successfully employed an innovative approach that allowed them to improve patient care and delivery processes using only current personnel and equipment.

It is VERY IMPORTANT to keep the medication information up to date especially when distributed by the

One of the most important steps in caring for hospitalized patients is medication administration. Patients come into the hospital to be treated so they will feel better, it does not matter what the physician does if the medications are not given to the patient they will not get better. According to McGonigle and Mastrian, the steps of administering medication have not changed in many years, they are “assessment of need, ordering, dispensing, administration, and evaluation” (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2012, p. 386). The purpose of this paper is explain the medication administration process that is used in my facility, to determine the technology used is effective.

Various methods to reduce the barriers to adherence include providing medication that decreases the number of pills needed per day, reducing side effects, and combining multiple medicines into a single dose. Due to the availability of extended-release versions of various medicines, the method of simple dosing, or taking 1 pill daily is made attainable. The article, Improving Prescription Medicine Adherence is Key to Better Health Care states, “...32 million Americans use three or more medicines daily, while the average 75-year old has 3 chronic conditions and takes 5 medicine” (3). The article also explains how the benefits of utilizing medication involving 2 or more active drugs into a single dose compared to the use of 2 or more separate medications has reduced patient nonadherence by 26% (3). By using simple dosing, pharmacists can also work with patients to adjust their regimen to allow them to take their medication according to their daily activities such as taking medication along with their meals, or right before bed. When these methods are implemented, this encourages patients to use medication appropriately, which can lead to an improved quality of

The issues in the article entitled “Benefits of Unit Dose Packaging” by Kate DeMutis discusses the problems that arise in regards to compliance of patient’s using medications and wound care supplies as ordered by their healthcare providers. It appears that with the “growing number of prescriptions in the United States it can be concluded that incorrect use of the medications or wound care supplies is impacting ones recovery in a timely fashion,” (DeMutis, 2015) and perhaps unit dosing may be the solution.

Some reasons for non-adherence are common across all types of illnesses. These include side effects, cost, forgetfulness, and not feeling the need to take the drug (Wegmann, n.d.). Adherence rates decrease even more when an illness is chronic, in part due to the additional complexities of these illnesses. Multifaceted treatment regimens, multiple physician involvement, and lack of understanding about medications are common reasons for this increase in non-adherence. Moreover, people who have chronic illnesses often feel that they do not need medication when they are feeling asymptomatic (Brown & Bussells, 2011). Chronic psychiatric disorders, especially severe ones, can come with their own reasons for non-adherence. These can include anosognosia (an unawareness or denial of a neurological deficit), and feeling “enslaved” to the medication (Colom et al., 2005). Even the very nature of bipolar disorder can lead to noncompliance. Both the seductive nature of mania, and the apathy of depression can lend themselves toward medication non-adherence (Black Dog Institute, 2013). In fact, 90% of people with bipolar disorder have seriously considered stopping their medication therapy at some time during their life (Colom et al., 2005). Given the multitude of reasons listed above, is not surprising that bipolar disorder has

Negative reinforcement by instilling fear to comply is unethical and if a patient refuses treatment after information giving this must be accepted (Haynes et al. 2002:2881). Documentation is a vital tool to protect health professionals in this situation (Loveridge 2005:19). The promotion of concordance must be within a framework of health promotion as medication compliance is a learned response in health management and self-efficacy (Embrey 2006:510).

A fixed dosage: unlike cases where the actual physical measurement was articulated i.e. AbbVie (40 mg) or Merck 1 (70 mg), the facts merely state “ten measured doses”. What is the measurement? Does this mean a different measurement is required for each patient (akin to Axcan)? If so, clearly this requires a physician to be “alert and responsive to a patient’s profile” (AbbVie at [118] citing Janssen at [26]) and hence unpatentable (Janssen; Novartis)

In the model below, we assume that an agency is used. Home telehealth option 3 involves store-and-forward telemedicine integrated with telehealth consultation. The patient is managed by a homecare agency or nursing facility as in usual care. A digital camera and instruction kit are provided to the caregiver or nurse. If it is the caregiver, we assume that he or she is willing and able to operate the digital camera. This option also assumes that secure internet access is available for transmitting the photos via e-mail. Digital photos of the PU and surrounding skin are taken every week. They are then forwarded to the SCI Center for review by a nurse and for documentation in the medical record. The nurse contacts the managing agency for any treatment recommendations. SCI telehealth consultation with a nurse practitioner or physician at a local VA spoke facility is scheduled if the wound is either getting worse or appears healed. In case of poor healing or complications, expeditious intervention and treatment plan alterations would be implemented.

.[1]As RILEY S. REES detected and enquired the impacts of a Tele Wound program on the utilization of service and economic outcomes among patients staying at home with chronic injuries.The Tele Wound program also contains a Web- based transmission of digital photographs along with a clinical rules and regulations. It makes homebound patients with chronic injuries or ulcer to be checked soon by a nearby plastic surgeon. Hence, it would improve economic performance for the clinics.It turned out to be boon to manage ulcers.

The provision of written medication information given to the patient helps significantly in cases of medication non compliance (McGraw & Drennan 2004). This is because it aids in memory retention and presents patients with access to a reliable source of concise medication information, particularly if the patient needs to be reminded of certain aspects (Gorgos 2006). These written medication information sheets need to be provided in the patients primary, dominant language because it reduces the difficulty and limits barriers to patient understanding (Gorgos 2006).This is important because this intervention aims to increase a patient’s understanding of their medications, and when a patient feels more competent with the use of their medications, reduced

There is now is an increasing population of elderly patients who is not receiving the proper guidance when it comes to their disease states and medications. More specifically, elderly patients in independent nursing homes are responsible for filling, picking up and taking their own medications from pharmacies outside the nursing home without any help. This means they have to remember to put in the refills, remember to pick up the medications and then remember to actually take the medications at the right times. Studies have shown the lack of guidance in the independent homes often results in many errors that may even lead to fatalities. One study showed that “the most common types of errors resulting in patient death involved administering an improper dose (40.9%), administering the wrong drug (16%) and using the wrong route of administration (9.5%)”1. Pharmacists play a crucial role in preventing these common types of errors. Through proper counseling sessions, the pharmacist has the ability to convey the correct information to the patient about their medication regimen. Aside from the significant need of fixing medication errors, there is a large need for patient education on their disease states and disease state management. Educated patients will want to be more cautious of their therapy, reach full therapeutic efficacy and slow the progression of their disease states. One study showed that after conducting a meta-analysis on 360 studies, 64%