In a survey conducted by Consumer Reports, Health, 70 percent of the respondants took steps to afford thier drugs in the past year, 28 percent of those resorting to potentially dangerous measures specifically:
16%-Failed to Fill a Prescription
16%-Skipped Doses
11%-Took Expired Medication
10%-Cut Pills in Half
4%-Shared a Prescription.
It is important to understand, especially in the health care field, that our patients most likely at some time be stressed to afford thier medications. Future health care providers should be prepared to be sympathetic, educate them of thier options, and protect them from certian dangers. Finaces seem to be a skeleton in the closet that many people choose to not discuss. As our country expands its knowledge and discovery with new drugs, drugs with less side effects, or drugs that work more efficiently, our dependence will grow as well as the cost.
So, please, talk to your physician, your patient, your neighbor, your nurse, and even your government if you want to see change.
http://www.consumerreports.org/health/prescription-drugs/10-ways-to-reduce-your-drug-costs/overview/10-ways-to-reduce-your-drug-costs.htm
http://www.pparx.org/
http://www.aarp.org/community/groups/displayTopic.btpageNum=1&groupId=7401&topicId=1129512
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I think teaching people to be proactive is very important. We have to be the change we want to see in the world! If you are struggling...find help! You aren't alone in the problem! I think this blog was very informative about the problems people have with high cost prescriptions.
ReplyDeleteWonderfully put Katherine. Patients are starting to become more and more informed, as healthcare providers we need to make sure they are informed with correct information, and know how to ask the questions that count. Even for non-health care workers, we will all at some time be someone we care about's advocate and will need to know how to talk to our medical care providers.
ReplyDeletevery informative
ReplyDelete