Medication Non-Adherence is a rising problem in the United States and is continuously resulting in the loss of lives and money. Last year alone, 125,000 of lives lost in the United States were due to medication non-adherence. Missing or confusing medication can cause tremendous and serious consequences. Medication non-adherence resulted in 34%-69% of hospital visits in 2015 alone. Aside from the rising amount of hospitalizations in the United States, 64% of those who visited the hospital in 2015 were later re-admitted due to medication errors. These rates are staggering, and even more concerning, is the average cost of an individual hospitalization: $3,575.
Medication non-adherence has taken a toll on Americans’ health and economy. The exponential increase in hospitalizations due to medication adherence issues has created a $300,000,000,000 problem. Though Congress must take initiative by creating policies to increase medication adherence, individuals can kick start this change on a lesser level by implementing medication adherence and safety precautions into their day to day lives. Simple changes to daily, monthly, and annual routines may include cleaning out medicine cabinets, making sure all medication is stored away from children, and helping the elderly classify and manage medications.
