We came up with the idea of an Iceberg to represent the magnitude and depth of medication non-adherence. I am sure that if asked, we can all quickly list the direct results of medication non-adherence, but there are so many indirect results of non-adherence that are equally damaging and should not be overlooked. That is why we choose to use the iceberg image, to represent and acknowledge that some things are obvious and clear above the surface, while there is a greater impact that we don’t necessarily or readily see below the surface.
Since we believe there are so many consequences of medication non-adherence, employees at the FLAVORx office participated in an exercise to try to shed some light on the obvious and not so obvious consequences of not properly complying with prescribed medication regimens. Some of the consequences are well known, on the tip of the iceberg, but many are much less obvious, hidden below the surface.
Here is a list of some of the consequences that arose from the project:
- Spreading illness
- Putting other people’s health at risk
- Health complications
- Loss of work
- Stress
- No child care until after 24 hours fever-free
- Slower recovery
- Addiction
- Antibiotic resistance- Super Bugs
- Sleep disturbance
- Decline in social life
- More doctor visits
- Lost days learning subsequently affects grades (school absenteeism)
- Work productivity decreases (work absenteeism)
- Leftover medications are sometimes shared with family or friends
- Health insurance premiums increase
- Health insurers and policies become more restrictive and intrusive
- Two medications may be prescribed in a situation where one might have sufficed
If nothing else, this exercise got us thinking more about the importance of adherence and how we personally may be affected by non-compliance and not even realize it! What do you suspect might be lingering beneath the iceberg? Please share your ideas in the comments below!
Final thought: Remember to take your medication!