The document discusses patient non-adherence to medical treatment. It states that around 75% of adults are non-adherent in some way, such as not taking medications correctly or filling prescriptions. Non-adherence can lead to worse health outcomes, higher medical costs of around $100 billion annually, and increased use of healthcare services like hospitals and nursing homes. Barriers to adherence include forgetfulness, the complexity of treatment regimens, skepticism about medications, high costs, and an inability to self-treat for certain groups like children and the elderly. Addressing the specific underlying factors is important to improve adherence.

1. Medical
Non-Adherence
Patient Non-Adherence to Prescribed
Medication and Treatment

2. What is Non-Adherence?
In Medicine, adherence (or compliance) describes the
degree to which a patient correctly follows medical
advice.
About 75% of adults are non-adherent in at least one way!

3. The Consequences of
Non-Adherence
 waste of medication and money
 disease progression
 reduced functional abilities/general health deterioration
 a lower quality of life
 patient/doctor distrust
 increased use of medical resources (e.g. nursing
homes, hospitals, emergency transport, etc.)

4. Economic Effects
 23% of nursing home admissions due to
noncompliance.
Estimated cost: $31.3 billion
Patients affected: 380,000
 10% of hospital admissions due to
noncompliance.
Total cost: $15.2 billion
Patients affected: 3.5 million
 Altogether, the economic impact of non-
adherence is estimated to cost $100 billion
annually.

5. Prescriptions
 Just under 50% of Americans will have used at least one prescription drug in the last
month.
 About 50% of the 2 billion prescriptions filled each year are not taken correctly .
 1/3 of patients take all their medicine, 1/3 take some, 1/3 don't take any at all (Rx
prescription never filled ).
 Most deviations in taking medication occur as omission of doses (rather than additions)
or delays in the timing of doses.

6. A Closer Look
Why don’t people follow their prescribed treatments? What are the
real causes?
Self-Apathy
Inability
Money
Skepticism
Forgetfulness
Complexity

7. What’s
Wrong?
There are many products available to help patients follow
prescription regimens. Why haven’t they alleviated the
problem?

8. User Groups
The factors behind non-adherence are not the same for everyone.
 Elderly patients often feel overwhelmed with
their treatment (many will take 10+ different pills
daily).
 Patients living on fixed income are more
affected by price changes.
 Patients living alone often lack a support
system.
 Children suffer from the inability to treat
themselves in many cases.
 Dependent on someone else remembering their
treatment.
 Children often don’t understand why they are
being exposed to finger pricks, bad-tasting
medicine, etc.

9. User Groups
Self-
Apathy
Forgetfulness Elderly Money
Complexity

10. User Groups
Inability
Children
Skepticism Forgetfulness

11. Reframe
What are the specific factors behind the problem?
How will those factors be addressed?
What comes next?

12. Where we go from here…