Posts Tagged ‘Medication’
I read recently in The Irish Times about the study done by Dr Dylan Evans lecturer in behavioural science at UCC School of Medicine which showed that people who paid more for drugs felt better.
It made me realise that the huge unpredictability of people’s behaviour when it comes to complying with the medication or treatment which they have been recommended by their doctor. Only about 50% of people with long term conditions adhere to the medication recommended by their doctor. While it’s easy to stick to a treatment which relieves pain because our body is screaming at us to take the medication, most conditions and treatments are not like that. As an example, losing weight is the treatment which most doctors recomend for a whole host of conditions from heart disease to diabetes. Weight Watchers has been successful because you lose weight with a group of your peers and basic behavioural drivers such as peer pressure, embarrassment and competition motivate people to stay on the wagon. The group therapy practiced by Alcoholics Anonymous and many other addiction drug treatment programs is another example.
Social media approaches such as facebook have huge potential for medication adherence. Social media is already spreading like wildfire for healthcare. There are thousands of facebook and ning support groups for mental illness, epilepsy, weight loss. What may seem new to anoyone over 40 is becoming normal life for the rising generation.
I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has used social media to help with medication adherence.
