Abstract

Medication adherence refers to the concept that at least 80% of a prescribed medication therapy including dosage, frequency, and duration of treatment is followed (World Health Organization, 2017). Failure to adhere to one's prescribed medication regimen is a serious issue that affects both the patient and the entire health care system. Medication non-adherence is especially dangerous for older adults due to their increased risk for multiple comorbidities, polypharmacy, and related adverse effects. According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2017), medication non-adherence is the cause of approximately 125,000 deaths and 10% of hospitalizations every year, and it costs the health care system between $100-$289 billion. The older adult currently represents approximately 6.4% of the population, with numbers increasing by 800,000 every month (WHO, 2017). Due to the fact that medication non-adherence is linked to increased admissions to acute care facilities, poor health outcomes, increased medical expenditures, and medication resource wastage, enhancing medication adherence in this population is essential to improving health outcomes and preventing further deterioration in health or premature death.

Author Details

Nicole Pascarella, DNP, BSN, RN and Rachel Blansett, DNP, BSN, RN

Sigma Membership

Theta Tau

Type

DNP Capstone Project

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Quality Improvement

Research Approach

Pilot/Exploratory Study

Keywords:

Medication Adherence, Self-efficacy, Older Adults, Independent Living Facility

Advisor

Ashlee Loewen

Second Advisor

Jeane Richards

Degree

DNP

Degree Grantor

Jacksonville University

Degree Year

2019

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.

All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.

All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

Faculty Approved: Degree-based Submission

Acquisition

Self-submission

Date of Issue

2019-09-16

Full Text of Presentation

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