Private MD News - Autoimmune Diseases

Home | News | Autoimmune Diseases

View Articles by Date

Year: 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009

Month: JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

A recent study conducted by the Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA), published in "The 3-Second Adherence Factor" kit, found that only 50 percent of patients who had an autoimmune condition took their prescribed medications, while 20 to 30 percent of these patients did not fill their prescriptions.

The AARDA kit is used to help patients make informed decisions about their treatments by giving them information and providing them with options such as alternative treatments or further research on their prescribed drugs throug online resources such as Google or WebMD.

The research also found that helping patients understand the benefits of their medications and what their therapies are trying to accomplish made them more likely to follow through with their treatments. During the research, a sample group of patients who witnessed several fictional scenarios of a doctor giving medication to a patient noted that if the physician had taken 30 more seconds to explain how the treatment would affect the condition, they would be more apt to take the medication if they were the patient.

"Patients receive a lot of information about the side effects of their treatment through advertising and inserts that are attached to their prescriptions," said study author Virginia T. Ladd, executive director of AARDA. "They need a way to balance that information with the benefits offered to them through therapeutic treatments. This way they can decide if they want to adhere to the treatment plan prescribed by their healthcare professional."

Autoimmune disease information... Full Story