Medication mistakes are common and costly

Judy Fortin, CNN News

Tools

By Beth Boehne

Story Created: Mar 7, 2008 at 4:02 PM EDT

Story Updated: Mar 7, 2008 at 4:55 PM EDT

(CNN) If you're having trouble remembering to take your daily medications, you're not alone.

An estimated 3.5 billion prescriptions are dispensed by pharmacists every year in the U.S. Pharmacists say patients sometimes not only forget to take their medications, but they also misread label directions.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores says that's a costly mistake. It reports prescription non-compliance costs the U.S. health care system more than $177 billion every year.

“Twenty-three percent of patients admitted to nursing homes can be directly related to issues of non-compliance with their medications,” said pharmacist Roger Scott. “Ten percent of hospital admissions can be also directly related to non-compliance issues.”

Some pharmacies offer a special card that sorts multiple drugs by time of day. You can also buy inexpensive plastic pill cases can also help patients keep track of their daily medications.

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