Content tagged with 'Prescription Drugs'
Targeting Prescribers Can Reduce Excessive Use of Antibiotics in Hospitals
HBNS STORY | April 30, 2013
Giving prescribers access to education and advice or imposing restrictions on use can curb overuse or inappropriate use of antibiotics in hospitals, according to a new Cochrane systematic review.
Teaching Patients about New Medications? A Picture Is Worth 1000 Words
HBNS STORY | April 30, 2013
Improving people’s knowledge and skills about their medications may be best achieved with multimedia patient education materials, finds a new systematic review in The Cochrane Library.
Those Confusing EOBs…Once Again!
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | February 27, 2013 | Trudy Lieberman
Let’s face it. Despite all the rhetoric about health care transparency, most health care providers really don’t want patients to know the price of their products and services.
Pharmacists Can Improve Patient Outcomes
HBNS STORY | February 28, 2013
In addition to dispensing, packaging or compounding medication, pharmacists can help improve patient outcomes in middle-income countries by offering targeted education, according to a new review in The Cochrane Library.
Latest Health Behavior News
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | February 12, 2013 | Health Behavior News Service
This week in health behavior news: Effects of deployment on those left behind | Commuting style linked to weight gain | Drugs for fibromyalgia may do more harm than good | Accidental poisonings leading cause of deaths at home
Accidental Poisonings Leading Cause of Deaths at Home
HBNS STORY | February 5, 2013
An increasing number of people die from unintentional home injury, in large part due to accidental drug overdose, according to a new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Coping With the High Costs of Prescriptions
PREPARED PATIENT ARTICLE
As patients pay more for their prescription drugs, many people decide to cut their pills in half or opt out of taking the drugs altogether. But there are safer ways to cut costs than skimping on — or skipping — the medicines you need.
On Your Own With Multiple Meds
PREPARED PATIENT ARTICLE
People with chronic illness often struggle to manage several prescribed drugs at a time and trying to figure out which drug is which, or when to take what.
Managing Your Medications
PREPARED PATIENT RESOURCE | Participate in Your Treatment
Part of participating in your treatment is remembering to take your medication as prescribed. This task can get difficult if you aren’t feeling well or are juggling multiple prescriptions
Paying for Prescription Medications
PREPARED PATIENT RESOURCE | Pay For Your Health Care
There are safe ways to cut down on prescription costs.
Education Can Reduce Use of Antipsychotic Drugs in Nursing Home Patients
HBNS STORY | December 13, 2012
A new review in The Cochrane Library finds that education and social support for staff and caregivers can reduce the use of antipsychotic drugs in nursing home patients with dementia.
Understanding a New Prescription
PREPARED PATIENT RESOURCE | Communicate With Your Doctors
Getting a Prescription Refill: Hassles from My Health Plan
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | November 27, 2012 | Val Jones
In a recent post entitled “The Joys of Health Insurance Bureaucracy” I described how it took me (a physician) over three months to get one common prescription filled through my new health insurance plan. Of note, I have still been unable to enroll in the prescription refill mail order service that saves my insurer money and (ostensibly) enhances my convenience.
Minorities More Likely to View Generic Drugs as Inferior
HBNS STORY | October 24, 2012
Negative perceptions about generic drugs are more widespread among ethnic minorities than among whites, finds a new study in Ethnicity & Disease.
Teens Increasingly Abuse Prescription Painkillers
HBNS STORY | October 18, 2012
Young people ages 15 to 24 are abusing prescription painkillers more than any other age group or any other youth in history. Availability of these drugs from their parents’ medicine cabinets may be to blame, according to new research in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
Common Treatment for Mild Hypertension Challenged
HBNS STORY | August 15, 2012
Doctors often prescribe drugs for people with mild high blood pressure with the hope of preventing cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, a new review from The Cochrane Library has found that this treatment does not reduce death rates, heart attacks or strokes.
Too Many Drugs for Many Older Patients
HBNS STORY | May 16, 2012
A new Cochrane Library evidence review reveals that little is known about the best ways to avoid inappropriate prescribing of medications for seniors or how to maximize health benefits while minimizing prescriptions.
I'm Not Taking That Drug if it Makes Me Itch! More on Medication Adherence
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | May 2, 2012 | Jessie Gruman
Our unwillingness to take our medicine as directed is often mistakenly viewed by clinicians and researchers as a sign that we are not 'engaged' in our care. Baloney. Many of us would be perfectly happy to do so were it not for those pesky side effects.
Personalized Interventions Work Best for People with Multiple, Chronic Illnesses
HBNS STORY | April 18, 2012
People with multiple chronic medical conditions are helped by medical interventions that target personal risk factors and/or their ability to perform daily activities. Interventions aimed at general case management or enhancing teamwork among a patient’s care providers are not as effective, finds a new review in The Cochrane Library.
Guest Blog: Adherence: The difference between what is, and what ought to be
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | March 16, 2012 | Scott Gavura
One of the most interesting aspects of working as a community-based pharmacist is the insight you gain into the actual effectiveness of the different health interventions.
Caffeine Gives a Small Boost to Painkillers’ Effectiveness
HBNS STORY | March 15, 2012
Caffeine improves the effectiveness of over-the-counter pain relieving drugs, but only by a small margin, according to a new evidence review in The Cochrane Library.
Antipsychotic Drug Combinations Are Often Given to Patients Early In Treatment
HBNS STORY | March 15, 2012
Patients with schizophrenia and other mental illnesses are commonly prescribed high dose combinations of antipsychotic drugs earlier than recommended by some guidelines, finds a new study in the March issue of General Hospital Psychiatry.
Guest Blog: A Near Miss. A Good Pharmacist. A Serious Lesson.
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | December 8, 2011 | Herb Wells
Last week I went to the family pharmacy I use in New York City to pick up a new anti-arrhythmic drug that might slow down or even stop the atrial fibrillation I had experienced for the previous two weeks. The pharmacist came from behind his privacy wall to speak with me before dispensing the drug.
No Difference in Side-Effects When Switching or Adding Antidepressants
HBNS STORY | November 17, 2011
Patients with depression who fail to see improvement after taking an antidepressant often have their initial medication switched or combined with a second drug. The perception of potential side effects has influenced clinician decisions about which strategy to take. New research now suggests one strategy may not be any more likely to be harmful than the other.
Guest Blog: What's All That Other Stuff In My Medicine?
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | October 14, 2011 | Scott Gavura
The perception from many consumers (based on my personal experience) seems to be that products are inferior if they contain non-drug ingredients. By this measure, drug products are problematic'
Review: Taking Blood Pressure Drugs at Night Slightly Improves Control
HBNS STORY | October 5, 2011
Patients who take certain popular types of blood pressure medication once a day are able to achieve somewhat better control of their hypertension if they take their daily dose at bedtime, according to a new systematic review.
The Whole Package: Improving Medication Adherence
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | September 23, 2011 | Conversation Continues
Over-the-counter and prescription drugs are sold with instructions either on the package itself or in accompanying materials. Alas, research has shown that many people find this medication information confusing and thus do not take their medications correctly ' or at all. Can interventions like drug fact panels, reminder packaging and "integrated" health systems help solve the problem?
Reminder Packaging Helps Patients Take Medications as Directed
HBNS STORY | September 13, 2011
People with chronic illnesses are more likely to take long-term medications according to doctors’ instructions if the packaging includes a reminder system, according to a new review of evidence
Guest Blog: Who's to Blame for Drug Shortages?
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | September 6, 2011 | Scott Gavura
All the best efforts to practice science-based medicine are for naught when the optimal treatment is unavailable. And that's increasingly the case ' even for life-threatening illnesses. Shortages of prescription drugs, including cancer drugs, seem more frequent and more significant than at any time in the past.
Drug Labeling Inside the Box
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | July 20, 2011 | Trudy Lieberman
Reading those lengthy package inserts about the medicines you're taking is a bit like eating peas. You know they are good for you, but your gut says 'yuck.' So odds are you don't bother with all that teensy-tiny fine print, but just take the medicine and hope for the best.
Can New Tools Improve Medication Adherence?
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | July 6, 2011 | Conversation Continues
Medication non-compliance is a pervasive problem resulting from a complex set of factors. Now, using publicly identifiable information, the credit-rating company FICO has developed a Medication Adherence Score that may help health plans identify those most at risk, and Geisinger Health Systems and CVS Caremark are conducting a study to assess whether enhanced doctor-pharmacist communication can help.
Review: Statins Helpful, But No Quick Fix After Cardiac Emergency
HBNS STORY | June 14, 2011
Over the long term, treatment with cholesterol-lowering statins reduces the rate of mortality and cardiovascular events such as heart attack. Still, it is unclear whether these drugs take effect rapidly when the risk of these dire events is highest.
Turning 65: Finding a Prescription Drug Plan
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | May 23, 2011 | Trudy Lieberman
If I were to choose a Medigap policy to supplement my basic Medicare coverage, I would still have to buy a separate plan for prescription drugs, since Medigap sellers can't include drug benefits in those policies.
Why Do People Stop Taking Their Cancer Meds?
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | May 19, 2011 | David Harlow
David Harlow highlights recent research that finds that people stopped taking their cancer medications due to high costs and a burden from taking a number of prescription drugs broadening the picture of poor medication adherence.
No Magic Pill to Cure Poor Medication Adherence
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | May 18, 2011 | Jessie Gruman
You are sick with something-or-other and your doctor writes you a prescription for a medication. She briefly tells you what it's for and how to take it. You go to the pharmacy, pick up the medication, go home and follow the instructions, right? I mean, how hard could it be? Pretty hard, it appears. Between 20 percent to 80 percent of us ' differing by disease and drug ' don't seem to be able to do it.
Researchers Still Searching for Ways to Help Patients Take Their Meds
HBNS STORY | May 12, 2011
Clinicians have tried a variety of ways to encourage people to take prescribed medicines, but a new research review says it is still unclear whether many of these interventions have been effective.
Doctor’s Office Is Usually First Stop in Medication Mishaps
HBNS STORY | May 6, 2011
Medication mishaps are a widely recognized problem in health care and a new study finds that ambulatory care settings, not ERs, deal with them most.
Overdoses of Popular Painkiller Send Thousands to ER Each Year
HBNS STORY | May 3, 2011
Overdose of the common household drug acetaminophen leads to more than 78,000 emergency department visits a year, and the majority of the overdoses are intentional, according to a new CDC study.
Better Labeling Could Help Thwart Acetaminophen Overdose
HBNS STORY | May 3, 2011
When misused, acetaminophen — marketed as Tylenol — can lead to acute liver failure and worse, often due to accidental overdose by an uninformed consumer. A new small study looks at what’s missing in consumer education and how to overcome those gaps.
Taking Diabetes Medication Helps Lower Medical Costs, Slightly
HBNS STORY | March 18, 2011
A new study shows that diabetes patients who do a better job of taking their medication have slightly lower health care costs.
Inhaled Epinephrine Confirmed Quick, Effective for Croup
HBNS STORY | February 15, 2011
For more than 30 years, pediatricians have treated children who have croup with inhaled epinephrine to relieve their symptoms quickly. Now, a new review confirms the value of this approach.
The Conversation Continues: Rx Side Effects
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | February 10, 2011 | CFAH Staff
Prepared Patient: Side Effects: When Silence Isn't Golden
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | February 3, 2011 | Health Behavior News Service
'I had a wonderful gentleman patient who had resistant blood pressure,' recalls Vicki Koenig, M.D., a retired family doctor in Exmore, VA. 'When he came for a blood pressure check on the latest new med and it was great, I was ecstatic. Then he said, 'But I notice my urine's a little dark.' His was one of the first cases of fatal liver complications from this medication.' Medication side effects are common'but when should you speak up?
More Americans Turn to Lower-Cost Alternative Meds, Especially Whites
HBNS STORY | February 1, 2011
Those Clever Drug Companies, Again
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | January 27, 2011 | Trudy Lieberman
If prizes were given for ingenious marketing, drug companies would win top honors. Like most businesses, they want to expand markets'that means getting you to buy more drugs whether you need them or not. Their appetite for finding new ways of doing that is insatiable.
Prepared Patient: Coping With the High Costs of Prescriptions
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | December 31, 2010 | Health Behavior News Service
Cost-cutting measures are creeping into the medicine cabinet. We split pills in half or take the drugs every other day to stretch our doses. We stop filling the prescriptions for our most expensive drugs. We buy prescriptions from online pharmacies with questionable credentials. As patients pay more for their prescription drugs ' whether it's through higher insurance co-pays or shouldering the full costs ' many people decide to opt out of taking the drugs altogether. But there are safer ways to cut costs than skimping on ' or skipping 'the medicines you need.
When Mental Health Meds Are Out of Reach, Hospitalization More Likely
HBNS STORY | December 10, 2010
Too often, mental health patients have problems accessing or paying for their prescription drugs under Medicaid. The results — longer hospital stays and more emergency room visits — are hard on patients and costly for the entire health care system, a new study finds.
Prescription Restrictions Cut Costs, But How Does Health Fare?
HBNS STORY | August 17, 2010
Parkinson’s Patients More Likely to Stick With Certain ‘Add-on’ Drugs
HBNS STORY | July 8, 2010
OTC Constipation Treatment Beats Prescription Med in Review
HBNS STORY | July 6, 2010
Out-of-Pocket Costs Put Arthritis Drugs Out of Reach for Some
HBNS STORY | May 20, 2010
Blacks, Hispanics Less Likely Eligible for Medicare Prescription Help
HBNS STORY | May 20, 2010
Prescription Costs More Likely to Deter Hispanics in Study
HBNS STORY | May 10, 2010
Self-Monitoring Lowers Risks for Patients on Anti-Clotting Drug
HBNS STORY | April 13, 2010
The Squeeze of Mail-Order Drugs for People with Chronic Illness
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | April 12, 2010 | Jessie Gruman
Do you have your prescriptions filled through a mail-order pharmacy? You are not alone.
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