Now that the week is coming to an end, I can rate my adherence to my medication more accurately. I would probably rate my adherence as a 6 overall. It is true that my new techniques help with remembering to take my pill 3 times a day, but I still don't always take it. I will find myself remembering a missed dose the next day and by then it is too late to make it up.
Another real life issue that a patient might have is the issue of no alcohol with the medication. Tonight I am planning to get together with friends and if I were truly on this medication and knew that it made me sick if mixed with alcohol, I may be tempted to skip my doses today in order to avoid the severity of that side effect. Plus, it's late in the week anyway, a patient may assume that they have taken it long enough that skipping a day won't matter. This would decrease my adherence rating for sure.
This assignment really helped me see the difficulty that patients have with compliance. It also is clear why taking a medication once a day or even twice a day would result in a much higher compliance rate than 3 or more times a day. Good experience!
I would say that my adherence to my regimen is about a 7 out of a 10-point scale. In the beginning of the week I did forget to take my medication a few time. However, as the week passed, I became more aware of the times that I had to take my pills.
During the first few days, I did rely heavily on reminders to take my medication. The regimen became routine and I needed less and less reminders.
I never thought I would have any trouble adhering to a medication regimen. I take medication on a regular basis every day (once a day every morning)and have no problems with that regimen. Perhaps because I have not had to take medication more than once a day in a long while, I am having a harder time than usual with the regimen.
On a scale of 1-10 I would give me self a 6. I really had trouble reminding myself to take the tablet three times per day. To be honest the tablets were not all that enjoyable to eat and to make matters worse they were pretty big. I have to be honest, there were times where I didn't bother to take the medication and just threw it in the trash for the reason I stated previously. But I did discover using a pill box made things so much easier to keep track of. I understand now how patients could have so much trouble when it comes to medication adherence especially if they are taking more than one medication (which is usually the case). Now I feel I have a greater understanding of why patients may have so much trouble withe medication adherence. Having been in the patients shoes gives you a whole new perspective.
My adherence was next to terrible. I realize the challenge that patients face in keeping up with their medications must be great. I have, however, adhered to all of my antibiotics regimens in the past. I really felt that my forgetfulness may have stemmed from my lack of imagination in this exercise. Had I actually been sick and in need of Cephalexin, I think I would have been more compelled to take my "meds". I do agree that this exercise offers a perspective on the challenges of adherence. I suppose the best we can do is preach this point and provide each patient with the means to keep up on their own.
My adherence would be a 5 at best. I was honestly horrible at remembering to take the medication. Even after trying to sync the dose with a meal, I would still remember way too late. It may have to do with I usually don't eat at the same time every day, and so I just don't think about it. I found myself regularly taking multiple doses to catch up. Obviously this is terrible practice, however this exercise does give me a huge insight into what patients have to go through.
I also agree with all of the comments concerning that I was not actually in need of the medication. If I had an actual illness with symptoms, the symptoms would probably push me to stay adherent.
I would rate my adherence to be an 8. I did not have much difficulty remembering the regimen although I did miss two doses. I’m not sure when or how I missed it and only discovered it when I counted the tablets in my bag. This means that my strategy for taking the medication was not foolproof. Like Shabana, I take a medication once daily that I rarely forget about. I think I am very adherent to my actual medication because of its importance to me and because it is only dosed once a day. It is apparent through this exercise that as dosing frequency increases, adherence decreases. I think that as a patient gets used to their regimen then adherence will become easier. It will be our duty as health professionals to help our patients find ways to be adherent through education and creative strategies.
I believe that my adherence was 8 on a 10 point scale. I didn't miss any doses, only adjusted the timing of the dose. Given the wide range between my doses, being a little early or late for a dose didn't concern me much. I might have been more careful if my pharmacist had counseled me against adjusting my dosing regimen, but I was left to my own imagination rather than someone's instructions. Like Julie said, I believe with time and practice, consistency can get better and missed doses will become less frequent. Unfortunately, I am only on a 7 day script, so there will be little need of establishing a more consistent dosing.
I would rate myself maybe about a 6. I remembered to eat my skittles perfectly according to my dosing regimen. I took them consistently in the morning during my first class. I understand the importance of warfarin adherence and INR checkups if I had a real clot issue, however since we are just dealing with skittles and fake INR appointments there is really no stress or risk involved, which is probably why I forgot to attend my scheduled INR appointment. As a result, when I made up my visit, my INR was a little off so I had to change up my dosing schedule a little bit. I think I only remembered to take my medicine just because they were skittles.
Now that the week is coming to an end, I can rate my adherence to my medication more accurately. I would probably rate my adherence as a 6 overall. It is true that my new techniques help with remembering to take my pill 3 times a day, but I still don't always take it. I will find myself remembering a missed dose the next day and by then it is too late to make it up.
ReplyDeleteAnother real life issue that a patient might have is the issue of no alcohol with the medication. Tonight I am planning to get together with friends and if I were truly on this medication and knew that it made me sick if mixed with alcohol, I may be tempted to skip my doses today in order to avoid the severity of that side effect. Plus, it's late in the week anyway, a patient may assume that they have taken it long enough that skipping a day won't matter. This would decrease my adherence rating for sure.
This assignment really helped me see the difficulty that patients have with compliance. It also is clear why taking a medication once a day or even twice a day would result in a much higher compliance rate than 3 or more times a day. Good experience!
I would say that my adherence to my regimen is about a 7 out of a 10-point scale. In the beginning of the week I did forget to take my medication a few time. However, as the week passed, I became more aware of the times that I had to take my pills.
ReplyDeleteDuring the first few days, I did rely heavily on reminders to take my medication. The regimen became routine and I needed less and less reminders.
I never thought I would have any trouble adhering to a medication regimen. I take medication on a regular basis every day (once a day every morning)and have no problems with that regimen. Perhaps because I have not had to take medication more than once a day in a long while, I am having a harder time than usual with the regimen.
On a scale of 1-10 I would give me self a 6. I really had trouble reminding myself to take the tablet three times per day. To be honest the tablets were not all that enjoyable to eat and to make matters worse they were pretty big. I have to be honest, there were times where I didn't bother to take the medication and just threw it in the trash for the reason I stated previously. But I did discover using a pill box made things so much easier to keep track of. I understand now how patients could have so much trouble when it comes to medication adherence especially if they are taking more than one medication (which is usually the case). Now I feel I have a greater understanding of why patients may have so much trouble withe medication adherence. Having been in the patients shoes gives you a whole new perspective.
ReplyDeleteMy adherence was next to terrible. I realize the challenge that patients face in keeping up with their medications must be great. I have, however, adhered to all of my antibiotics regimens in the past. I really felt that my forgetfulness may have stemmed from my lack of imagination in this exercise. Had I actually been sick and in need of Cephalexin, I think I would have been more compelled to take my "meds". I do agree that this exercise offers a perspective on the challenges of adherence. I suppose the best we can do is preach this point and provide each patient with the means to keep up on their own.
ReplyDeleteMy adherence would be a 5 at best. I was honestly horrible at remembering to take the medication. Even after trying to sync the dose with a meal, I would still remember way too late. It may have to do with I usually don't eat at the same time every day, and so I just don't think about it. I found myself regularly taking multiple doses to catch up. Obviously this is terrible practice, however this exercise does give me a huge insight into what patients have to go through.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with all of the comments concerning that I was not actually in need of the medication. If I had an actual illness with symptoms, the symptoms would probably push me to stay adherent.
I would rate my adherence to be an 8. I did not have much difficulty remembering the regimen although I did miss two doses. I’m not sure when or how I missed it and only discovered it when I counted the tablets in my bag. This means that my strategy for taking the medication was not foolproof. Like Shabana, I take a medication once daily that I rarely forget about. I think I am very adherent to my actual medication because of its importance to me and because it is only dosed once a day. It is apparent through this exercise that as dosing frequency increases, adherence decreases. I think that as a patient gets used to their regimen then adherence will become easier. It will be our duty as health professionals to help our patients find ways to be adherent through education and creative strategies.
ReplyDeleteI believe that my adherence was 8 on a 10 point scale. I didn't miss any doses, only adjusted the timing of the dose. Given the wide range between my doses, being a little early or late for a dose didn't concern me much. I might have been more careful if my pharmacist had counseled me against adjusting my dosing regimen, but I was left to my own imagination rather than someone's instructions. Like Julie said, I believe with time and practice, consistency can get better and missed doses will become less frequent. Unfortunately, I am only on a 7 day script, so there will be little need of establishing a more consistent dosing.
ReplyDeleteI would rate myself maybe about a 6. I remembered to eat my skittles perfectly according to my dosing regimen. I took them consistently in the morning during my first class. I understand the importance of warfarin adherence and INR checkups if I had a real clot issue, however since we are just dealing with skittles and fake INR appointments there is really no stress or risk involved, which is probably why I forgot to attend my scheduled INR appointment. As a result, when I made up my visit, my INR was a little off so I had to change up my dosing schedule a little bit. I think I only remembered to take my medicine just because they were skittles.
ReplyDelete