Patient Compliance: Vital in managing diseases

Death from heart disease ranks first as cause of death in the Philippines.

Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs), mainly heart attack and stroke, kill more than 16 million people worldwide (accounting for 30 percent of the total number of deaths each year) while disabling hundreds of millions more often individuals in the prime of their lives.

For this group of diseases, lifestyle changes are the first line of prevention and treatment, which means one has to keep a tight rein of the major risk factors which include high blood pressure, tobacco use, consumption of food high in saturated fat, elevated blood cholesterol, lack of physical activity, obesity, and diabetes.

For those people who failed to keep a tight watch, the next line of prevention would be taking the necessary medication. Sadly, this next step is often not followed that's why doctors are quite alarmed.

According to Dr. Vincent Valencia, a cardiologist and professor of Medicine at the Heart Institute of St. Luke's Hospital, "Patient compliance is crucial to a successful treatment. Even the best treatment plan or the most effective medicine will fail if a patient will not comply, with the most obvious result being that their disorder is not relieved or cured or gets worse".

Critical for all participants

Improving patients' ability to better manage their own conditions and adhere to prescribed therapy is indeed critical for all participants in the health care spectrum-patients enjoy better health, doctors can more effectively treat patients, and the pharmaceutical companies' drug products work and are utilized to their best ability.

In a study conducted in 2005 on the cost of Acute Myocardial Infraction and Stroke, it is estimated that a patient will spend an average of P90,655.43 for a period of 7.7 days of hospitalization due to heart attack and P166,754.40 for a total of 11.9 days of hospitalization due to stroke.

These computations only covered the cost of hospital confinement, laboratory tests and procedures, as well as the doctors' and nurses' professional fees. The estimates have not yet taken into account the cost of complications, progression of the disease, and premature disability.

"Yes, getting sick is costly: One spends for the treatment and medications and lose money for every day spent in sickbed (instead of engaging in income-earning activities). Heart ailments are even more financially straining due to the high cost of hospitalization involved," says Pfizer Medical Director Dr. Anthony Leachon.

Seemingly counterintuitive

At first glance, it may seem counterintuitive for patients not to take their medicines, but patients are non- or partial compliant for a variety of reasons.

"For one thing, they cannot afford to pay the high prices of many prescription medicines. A huge percentage, however, simply forget and are unaware of how many doses they skip, blaming their busy schedule and other distractions," noted Valencia.

While pharmaceutical companies are now coming up with once-a-day medications and issuing discount cards to lessen the chance of patients missing a dose, as well as enjoy savings for drugs purchased, Valencia believes doctors must also play a role in teaching their patient means to remember their schedule.

According to Valencia, "Doctors must have time to explain adequately the reasons for a prescribed course of treatment and must instill a sense of urgency. We must be able to explain that yes, the cost of a prescribed medicine may be high, but the cost of non- or even partial compliance is much higher as the illnesses could become more complicated or even fatal,"

Provide support

Leachon added that today, it has become increasingly important for the industry to provide the adequate support for patients, and ensure that each patient observe the proper and more effective methods of medicine-taking-and finally to communicate such support more widely.

Leachon explained, "Which is why in the case of Pfizer, it launched its Patient Care Program, which provides literature, and discounts for its high blood pressure and angina drug Amlodipine Besylate and its cholesterol lowering drug Atorvastatin Calcium.

The literature will help educate enrolled patients of their condition and explain why taking medicines and compliance should not be taken for granted, the discount cards on the other hand, lessens the burden of buying the drugs.

With more and more doctors and pharmaceutical firms finding ways to better improve the doctor-patient relationship, patients are more likely to adhere to treatment plans and follow advice.

That compliance with your doctor's prescription is a necessary component of improving patient's hypertensive condition, Pfizer offers the Sulit Card program where patients can avail of the tested and proven amlodipine besylate at a 50% discount. The program likewise provides patients with health information materials and reminders to promote adherence. Ask your doctors about the need for compliance and how patients had been helped by Pfizer's Sulit Card Program.