PRESCRIPTIONS
Take your medicine hen a patient accepts a doctor’s health recommendations and agrees to follow them, it is only half of the battle to a successful outcome. The other half is executing the doctor’s instructions, including taking prescribed medication according to the physician’s directions. Unfortunately, the percentage of patients complying with doctors’ orders is well below 100% for most prevalent medical conditions. Studies found that 76% of cardiovascular, 67% of diabetic and 58% of psychotic patients adhere to physician’s recommended treatments. Poor adherence affects healthcare expenditures and worsens chronic disease complications. Different methods are being employed to help patients take their medications as prescribed. Packaging medicines in punchcards or multidrug pouches with the name of the drug, instructions on how and when to take them and
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Health & Beauty Summer 2022
a description of their appearance are cost-effective and straightforward ways to help patients stay on top of their drug regimes. Numerous studies confirmed the beneficial impact of drug reminder packaging on blood pressure and blood sugar control, and other health outcomes. Helping patients to remind them to take the dose at the appropriate time was of utmost importance. Blister packs and multidrug pouches were superior to pillboxes because pharmacists prepared them instead of patients or caregivers. Caesar’s Pharmacy offers a state of the art Parata packaging system that seals medication in detachable, single-use, multidrug pouches. It provides patients maximum support in managing their medicines independently, improving their well-being and extending their autonomy. For many of our patients, it has proven to be the only measure allowing them to continue to take care of
their health needs unassisted. Another way of improving the health outcomes of patients is the utilisation of health machines or kiosks. These are touch-screen terminals accessible to patients visiting pharmacies and other health establishments and can provide information and diagnostic services. They are easily accessible and can improve self-care and management of chronic conditions such as blood pressure and managed nutrition by checking weight and body tissue composition. Caesar’s Pharmacy ‘Robodoc’ health kiosk provides measurements of blood pressure, height, weight, pulse, body tissues composition, blood oxygen level and temperature. It has already prompted some patients to visit their physicians and discover they suffer from hypertension. For many, it made them realise their weight and tissue composition are far from healthy and helped them monitor their progress towards more desirable ranges. Caesar’s Pharmacy is pleased to offer services that can help improve the quality of life for their patients.
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