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It’s [...]]]> We’ve written a lot here about the dangers of taking drugs without a prescription, of doctor shopping, of accidental overdoses and unanticipated drug interactions, and of forgoing needed medications to save money. But one thing we haven’t written about is medication non-adherence — the problem of people simply forgetting to take their meds.

It’s a more widespread, and serious, issue than you might have imagined. According to Intelecare, one out of every two patients fails to follow physician instructions. When patients are asked why, 84 percent cite forgetfulness as the main reason for their non-adherence.

And check out these numbers:

• 1 out of 8 heart attack patients stops taking life-saving drugs after just 1 month
• 31 percent of all prescriptions are not filled the first time
• 15 percent of all hospital visits ($47 billion/annually) are due to medication non-adherence
• 125,000 deaths annually are the result of non-adherence
• Up to 60 percent of patients cannot correctly report what their physicians expected of them 10 to 80 minutes after they were provided with the information
• Non-adherence costs the healthcare system over $300 billion annually

Intelecare offers a personal reminder service that helps ensure healthcare consumers take their medications as prescribed. The service has more than three million subscribers.

If you have problems remembering to take your meds, or you’re a caregiver of someone who forgets to take their meds, Intelecare may be the solution for you. You can learn more here.