title: So simple, so hard: Taking medication as directed.
abstract: Millions of Americans either fail to take the full course of prescribed medication or they take it incorrectly. The problem is particularly serious for people with cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and diabetes, and for racially and ethnically diverse populations. The (U.S.) National Consumers League through its Script Your Future medication adherence awareness campaign presented the conference "So Simple, So Hard: Taking Medications as Directed", convening health care professionals, community health workers, consumer and patient advocates, researchers, industry representatives, public agencies, and policymakers. This a one-day research symposium aimed to explore challenges and barriers to medication adherence and to highlight tools and strategies to improve adherence and health outcomes, particularly among underserved populations. The conference began with presentations on adherence research and health disparities, and continued with presentations on strategies and tools to improve adherence that could be utilized in health care practices or organizations (including assessing adherence, medication synchronization, and comprehensive medication management). Through group discussions, the conference provided a forum for participants to interact and lay the groundwork to develop partnerships for collaborative initiatives to improve appropriate medication use and adherence. Participants surveyed at the end of the day and 30 days after the conference reported that they found the meeting highly useful (rated 4.6 out of 5), with the vast majority saying they learned about research and tools they can apply in their work and made new connections for potential collaborations. The conference learnings are being shared by participants and disseminated to other interested organizations and individuals.
authors.affiliation: National Consumers League, Script Your Future Campaign, 1701 K Street, NW, Suite 1200, Washington, DC 20006, USA.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Burkholder
authors.affiliation: Creative Strategies, National Consumers League, Script Your Future Campaign, USA. Electronic address: Elainelinn02@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Elaine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Linn
mesh_terms: D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000458:organization & administration; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D055118:Medication Adherence; D055553:Prescription Drugs / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014481:United States; D035862:Vulnerable Populations
chemical_list: D055553:Prescription Drugs
keywords: Appropriate medication use; Communication; Cultural competency; Health disparities; Medication adherence; Medication management; Racial and ethnic minorities; Underserved populations