Let’s talk about medicine adherence

Stacks of medicines of various shapes and colors, in boxes and bottles hidden in the drawer, kitchen or bathroom. Familiar?

Where do these medicines come from?

A survey conducted locally showed that non-adherence is the leading cause of unused medicines piling up at home. Reasons vary from “forgot to take”, “did not take them according to the prescription” to “medical conditions have improved”.

What’s the impact of non-adherence?

Adherence to medicines is how well you follow instructions or recommendations from healthcare professionals. Medicines don’t work in patients who don’t take them! Therefore, non‑adherence will limit the benefits of medicines, resulting in lack of improvement of your medical conditions, or even deterioration in health.

Any problem with keeping the unused medicines?

Did you know that keeping medicines after they are no longer needed creates an unnecessary health risk in the home?

Medicines may support the maintenance of health but when used in the wrong way, by the wrong person or in the wrong amount, medicines can be harmful leading to injury and death. Young children below 6 years old are most vulnerable to accidental poisoning.

Besides, in the government hospitals and clinics, patients do not pay for their medicines. Non-adherence indirectly increases healthcare costs.

So, stop unused medicines from piling up!

Be informed

Talk to your healthcare professionals to understand why you are being prescribed the medicines, discuss any possible issues that you may have and how to manage them. This can help you adhere to your doctor’s recommendation.

You can also ask the CARiNG pharmacist to keep a record of all the medicines you are taking, how and when to take them. You can then access this record in myHealth app on your smartphone and set a pill reminder to ensure medicine adherence.

Let the CARiNG pharmacists help you. Be informed. This can help you to use your medicine safely, reduce risk of accidental exposure, and minimise wastage.