What strategies can help?

What strategies can help?

Address patient concerns

Address patient concerns with the aim of building concordance.

Devices

Devices which can make opening and taking medicines easier e.g. Autodropper® & Haleraid® which can help with eye drops and inhalers

Label changes

For example, enlarging the font size can help visually impaired patients.

Prompt Cards

Prompt Cards outline the names of medicines and the times when they should be taken. They can be laminated so that felt-tipped pens can be used to mark when a dose has been taken and then wiped clean so it can be used repeatedly. They can be pictorial to avoid the use of words when literacy is a problem.

For an example of a Prompt Card click on the link under the quiz.

Dose rationalisation/simplification

Dose rationalisation/simplification can make it easier for patients to organise medicines on their own e.g. taking all medications at the same time of day.

Carer involvement

Carer involvement, success is variable as many carers require support too.

Dosettes

Dosettes can be filled by patients or a carer. Usually, these have compartments for each dosage time and each compartment holds all of the tablets/capsules required for that time. Dosettes can be re-used as the compartments can be opened and closed time after time.

MDS (Monitored Dosage Systems)

MDS which are sometimes called ‘bubble packs’ can be provided by community pharmacies. These are similar to dosettes but are for single use with each compartment sealed. These are easy/logical to understand and can empower self-carers. Where they work, they improve & monitors compliance and prevent stockpiling. However they do not always work. Patients can forget to collect from pharmacy or can’t open or get muddled and start on the wrong day. They may still take too many or too few. When patients switch to MDS, they may experience reactions/problems, which they hadn’t had before because they are now taking a full dose of a medicine with which they were poorly compliant. In addition, some meds are not suitable. These include unstable formulation (ask a pharmacist for advice about these), unsuitable items (like liquids, Inhalers or drops), controlled drugs or ‘when required’ medicines. Lastly, they are problematic when medicines are changed.