![]() She is hopeful that “in the coming years, we’ll also see more Canadians having access to their own health records, such as diagnostic imaging, lab results or lists of dispensed medications through patient portals.” Her research focuses on how digital technologies can improve medication management. Kelly Grindrod, Assistant Professor at the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy. The health apps make it “easier to track and organize our data in one place, such as on an iPad,” says Dr. Some apps can also be linked to devices such as blood pressure cuffs to help monitor the effect of medications, diet or exercise. Mobile health applications (“apps”) have been designed to teach you about your medications, collect information about how you use them, and remind you to take them or to refill your prescription – in other words, to offer you a fresh take on how you manage your medications. Many Canadians fail to take their medications correctly. Specialized pill bottles with indicator toggles for each day of the week, pill bottles outfitted with digital timers and seven-day pill boxes have all been created with the goal of improving adherence, but often, these tools are not quite enough. So, is there a solution? Sure, your doctor and pharmacist do their best to remind you why it’s important to take your medications, and they may even offer you a “dosing reminder” tool to help you. In a Canadian study of emergency department visits, 12 percent of visits were due to adverse drug-related events, with almost 28 percent of these due to non-adherence – failure to take a medication as prescribed. Too little? Well, you likely won’t get the results that you and your doctor are looking for, and it may put you at risk of other health problems. Taking too much could mean a trip to your doctor or even your local emergency department. But, maybe you don’t always take them in the right amount. Most of us agree that medications help you live a longer, healthier life. Medications help you live a longer, healthier life What we tend to overlook is what happens if we do not take our medications – landing in the hospital because blood sugar levels are dangerously high, or dealing with a life-changing event such as a stroke as a result of uncontrolled high blood pressure. That’s common with high blood pressure treatments – you can’t feel it when your blood pressure rises. Perhaps we forget how and when to take our pills? Or, maybe there are so many vials that we can’t keep track? Sometimes, we just forget to take medications if we are feeling great. ![]() Everett Coop, former US Surgeon General, reflects a simple, yet empowering message.Ĭonsidering that 30 per cent of Canadians between 65 to 74 years of age are taking at least five prescription medications, but only half of them take their medication in the way that it was prescribed, makes you wonder why so many of us are opting out of the benefits associated with drugs. “Drugs don’t work in patients who don’t take them.” This well-known quote from C.
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