Study Finds Sky-High Prescription Noncompliance Among Seniors

Four out of every 10 senior citizensdo not follow through on the drugtherapy prescribed by their doctors,and the new Medicare Part D prescriptionprogram slated to take effect nextyear will not eliminate that noncomplianceproblem, researchers havewarned.

A new study conducted by theHealth Institute at Tufts-New EnglandMedical Center found that concernabout the high cost of prescriptionmedicines was only one reason for thehigh level of noncompliance amongelderly patients. An equally importantfactor, according to the researchers,was the belief held by many seniorsthat the medicines being prescribed forthem do not work or make them feelworse.

Another reason cited was thatmany older Americans feel that theyare being overmedicated. Nearly half(46%) of the seniors who reported takingprescription medicines during thepast year said that they were taking 6or more different drugs.