Copyright 2012 Medical News TodayLatest Health News and Medical News posted throughout the day, every day.http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/compliance/admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin)editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors)en-us Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240799.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240799.phpAfrican-American patients with high blood pressure follow their medication regimen more effectively with a combination of positive affirmations and patient education, concludes a study published Online First in the Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. In comparison to white people, African-Americans are disproportionately affected by hypertension...Hypertension Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240678.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240678.phpWhen it comes to taking prescribed medications for hypertension, a patient's self confidence could be as important as doctor's orders. A new study by researchers at NYU School of Medicine reveals that positive affirmation, when coupled with patient education, seems to help patients more effectively follow their prescribed medication regimen...Hypertension Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240596.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240596.php According to an investigation by researchers from the University of British Columbia, University of Toronto and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal), the cost of prescription medication affects 1 in 10 Canadians, and 1 in 4 individuals without medication insurance cannot afford to have their prescriptions filled...Compliance Wed, 11 Jan 2012 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240158.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240158.phpPatients simultaneously treated for both Type 2 diabetes and depression improve medication compliance and significantly improve blood sugar and depression levels compared to patients receiving usual care, according to a new study by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania...Diabetes Wed, 14 Dec 2011 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239121.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239121.phpResearchers at Henry Ford Hospital have found that one-quarter of severe asthma attacks could be prevented if only patients consistently took their medication as prescribed. Moreover, an asthma attack was only significantly reduced when patients used at least 75 percent of their prescribed dose, according to the study...Respiratory / Asthma Mon, 12 Dec 2011 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239002.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239002.phpWhy do so many postmenopausal women who are treated for estrogen-sensitive breast cancer quit using drugs that help prevent the disease from recurring? The first study to actually ask the women themselves -- as well as the largest, most scientifically rigorous study to examine the question -- reports 36 percent of women quit early because of the medications' side effects, wh...Breast Cancer Mon, 12 Dec 2011 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/239020.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/239020.php36% of post-menopausal breast cancer patients who take aromatase inhibitors do not complete their treatment, because the drug's side effects are so unpleasant, researchers from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine reported at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium...Breast Cancer Wed, 23 Nov 2011 06:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/238153.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/238153.phpAn announcement has been made by Daiichi Sankyo UK that the first three-in-one bill (Sevikar HCT) to treat hypertension (high blood pressure) has been launched. In the UK, approximately 8.5 million individuals are affected with hypertension. As symptoms are rarely clear, the condition is known as the "silent killer...Hypertension Wed, 16 Nov 2011 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/237702.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/237702.phpThe use of specific medications following a heart attack has been shown to reduce cardiovascular events and mortality, however; while highly effective, the rate of adherence to these medications is poor...Cardiovascular / Cardiology Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/237682.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/237682.phpAtrial Fibrillation patients who are prescribed the powerful blood thinner warfarin often take it with vitamins or supplements that can hamper its effectiveness, or skip doses completely, increasing their risk for stroke, according to new research...Cardiovascular / Cardiology Mon, 14 Nov 2011 22:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/237631.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/237631.phpEliminating co-payments is better for patients who have had a heart attack; their outcomes are better, they are more likely to adhere to their treatment regime, and costs are lower, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School revealed today in NEJM (New England Journal of Medicine as well as the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions...Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Sun, 02 Oct 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/235290.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/235290.phpPatients being treated for chronic hepatitis C become less likely to take their medications over time, according to a new study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania...Liver Disease / Hepatitis Wed, 14 Sep 2011 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/234349.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/234349.phpPeople with chronic illnesses are more likely to take long-term medications according to doctors' instructions if the packaging includes a reminder system, according to a new review of evidence. Reminder packaging improves both the number of doses taken and clinical measures of medication effectiveness, such as blood pressure...Compliance Wed, 07 Sep 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/233926.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/233926.phpPeople who receive medical care in an integrated health care system with electronic health records linked to its own pharmacy more often collect their new prescriptions for diabetes, cholesterol and high blood pressure medications than do people who receive care in a non-integrated system, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine...Compliance Fri, 26 Aug 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/233322.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/233322.phpNearly three-quarters (72%) of people who lost their health insurance when they lost their jobs over the last two years said that they skipped needed health care or did not fill prescriptions because of cost, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report...Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Tue, 23 Aug 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/233153.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/233153.phpAbout half of Medicaid-covered children and adolescents in Ohio who are in treatment for depression complete their first three months of prescribed antidepressants, and only one-fifth complete the recommended minimum six-month course of drugs to treat depression, new research suggests...Depression Thu, 18 Aug 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/232869.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/232869.phpThe lack of financial assistance to cover the cost of drugs to Medicare beneficiaries (the US government's health insurance program for people aged 65 or over, which currently covers 50 million US citizens) could result in an additional 18,000 patients discontinuing one or more prescriptions for essential drugs a year - a 100% increase - and others to not take their required medications regularly...Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP Tue, 02 Aug 2011 17:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/232140.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/232140.phpApproximately 10% of Medicare beneficiaries do not comply with their prescribed medication regimen because they simply cannot afford it, researchers from Harvard Medical School reported in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship...Compliance Tue, 02 Aug 2011 05:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/232100.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/232100.phpAs many as one in ten elderly people in the US, registered with Medicare, do not stick to their prescribed medication because it is too expensive, according to Dr. Larissa Nekhlyudov and colleagues from Harvard Medical School...Compliance Tue, 12 Jul 2011 12:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/230940.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/230940.phpThe majority of patients with high-grade non-invasive bladder cancer are not getting the care recommended by official guidelines from the American Urology Association and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network; essential treatment to minimize the chances of a recurrence or cancer progression, researchers from UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center revealed in the journal Cancer...Urology / Nephrology Mon, 11 Jul 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/230806.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/230806.phpA new study published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society has reported that low compliance by healthcare providers to the current guidelines for the treatment of high-grade noninvasive bladder cancer is resulting in incomplete care of patients with the disease...Urology / Nephrology Fri, 17 Jun 2011 05:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/228868.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/228868.phpNew report reveals low treatment uptake, inadequate implementation of national osteoporosis guidelines and poor adherence to therapy In Europe, a serious treatment gap is leaving millions of people at high risk of fragility fractures...Bones / Orthopedics Thu, 16 Jun 2011 09:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/228764.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/228764.phpAccording to new data published in Clinical Therapeutics, the way a medication is packaged can have a significant impact on whether patients take it as prescribed. The study showed that Shellpak® calendar blister packaging from MeadWestvaco Corp. (NYSE: MWV) was associated with improvement in prescription adherence behavior in patients when compared with traditional pill vials...Compliance Thu, 16 Jun 2011 04:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/228720.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/228720.phpWhen patients stop taking prescribed drugs or reduce frequency or dosages, the effect can be devastating, causing health complications or even death. Express Scripts, one of the largest pharmacy benefit management companies in North America, trusts SAS Analytics to keep patients on their drug regimens to live healthier lives. Express Scripts handles millions of prescriptions annually...Compliance Wed, 15 Jun 2011 10:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/228647.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/228647.php It seems the Chinese government officials are abusing human rights, and those of children in particular when it comes to lead poisoning according to a watchdog organization, Human Rights Watch. In a news release published this week, the group claims China is restricting access to lead testing, withholding and falsifying test results and denying children treatment...Pediatrics / Children's Health