My letter on the above subject is published today in The
Straits Times, Friday 26th September 2014.
I agree that compliance with
medication and a good doctor-patient rapport help keep patients in a stable
condition ("Patients don't always know best"; last Saturday).
There are complex reasons for
non-compliance with the medication regimen. This is why family caregivers must
be involved and have a proper understanding of the illness and medication
regimen - the dosage, benefits and side effects, so they can monitor the
patient properly.
Patients often forget to take
their medication. So caregivers can make taking it part of the daily routine.
For example, the medication can
be placed on the dinner table alongside supplements that other family members
take regularly.
An alarm clock can be used to
remind patients to take their medication, if the dosage is more frequent.
Lastly, packing the pills in
containers with the date and time for consumption helps caregivers check that
the medication has been taken correctly.
For patients who do not want to
be reminded of their mental illness, caregivers can ask the doctor for
injectable medication every few weeks.
Raymond Anthony Fernando
http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/forum-letters/story/how-improve-medication-compliance-20140926
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