Concordance with Medication in Type 2 Diabetes - Essay Example

?Concordance with medication in type 2 diabetes. While delivering any sort of message it is necessary that the targeted people must be considered. The mentality and thinking of the targeted people must be kept in mind while designing the technique of delivering and conveying the message (Kaprio J, Tuomilehto J, Koskenvuo M, Romanov K, Reunannena A, Eriksson J, Stengard J, & Kesaniemi YA, 1992). Before delivering the collected information it must be made sure that the information is complete, organized and accurate (Traylor, 2010). For a message to be successful it is necessary that the purpose behind the delivering of the message be clearly understood by the people. Various techniques exist for presenting the information. Some of the methods include giving a presentation, printing a pamphlet and then distributing it among the people, giving a speech, personally conveying the message individually to each person, forming a team and then conveying the message in groups, using a website or even writing a report and then distributing the consolidated report among the people (Rota, Quadri, Fanti, Poglio, Paolasso, Ciaramitaro, Cossa, & Cocito, 2007).The method that is chosen must be according to the information that is to be delivered. The educational tool that I have used is a mug on which will be printed slogans regarding the adherence of medication regimen. A mug is a most commonly used utensil in our daily lives; we use it for different purposes and is always in our sight. The ease that is obtained while using a mug as a tool is that it is used by every person, whether the person is a male or a female or an elderly person or a child. It can be easily incorporated in our daily lives. The slogan can be printed in various languages and can also contain a small picture or image reminding of the benefits of adhering to the medication regimen and the harms that can possibly occur if the medication regimen is not followed properly (Relimpio F, Martinez-Brocca MA, Leal-Cerro A, Losada F, Mangas MA, Pumara A, & Astorga R, 2004). Besides other reasons a mug is an easily available utility and can be used by anyone; the greatest advantage of using a mug is the ease of accessibility. Using a mug to deliver and convey the message of remaining concordant to the medication routine is a very effective method because the most common utility that is used by any person is a mug; it is accessible to everyone. That is why using a mug to deliver the message is the most cost effective and efficient method (Hulka, Cassel, Kupper, & Burdette, n.d.). Diabetes type 2 is a disease in which it becomes very difficult for the patient to adhere to the strict diet routine and take all the medicines on time. The patient has to undergo a very strict diet because a slight variation in the diet can lead to an increase level of sugar in the patient, therefore a strict diet must be followed (Moussavi, Renier, Roussin, Mamputu, Buithieu & Serri, 2004). The patients usually get tired of the limited food varieties available to them and get bored of the numerous medicines they are bound to take and so they are always in search of an escape from this strict routine. It is of immense importance that the patients are somehow informed about the adverse effects that they would have to face if they not comply with the medication regimen given to them and this can be beautifully and completely achiebed by printing different slogans on the mug and distributing them among the patients. The slogans would be a constant reminder for them to adhere to medications (Schillinger, Wang, Rodriguez, Bindman & Machtinger, 2006). It is of utmost importance that the patient strictly adheres to the given medication in order to ensure good and effective health care. Through research it has been observed and found out that a very small group of people exist who properly follow the prescribed medications and majority of the people are those who do not strictly follow the prescribed medications (Martinez-Ramirez HR, Jalomo-Martinez B, Cortes-Sanabria L, Rojas-Campos E, Barragan G, Alfaro G, & Cueto-Manzano AM, 2006). After the survey that was conducted, reasons behind the non-adherence and adherence to the prescribed medications; it was found out that the factors that affected the non-concordance and concordance of medication depended on the geographic region and the age group of the patient. It is a general fact that as the person grows older his mental capability of accepting and realizing different things decreases (Schmittdiel JA, Traylor A, Uratsu CS, Mangione CM, Ferrara A, & Subramanian U, 2009). He becomes more and more stubborn and is not ready to accept any sort of change in his life. He is not ready to accept any sort of exclusion or inclusion in his routine life. Greater issues start when the person to be treated is an old person because it becomes very difficult for the doctor, or the nurse or the health care taker to handle the patient (Doyle, 2007). The patient almost becomes impossible to handle and it becomes almost impossible to make the patient realize the importance of taking medicines and observing concordance in taking medications. At this point it becomes of utmost importance that the nurses and the healthcare takers take extreme care of such patients and provides them with the best possible care that they can take. It is necessary that the nurses and care takers practice extreme patience, endurance and tolerance. The nurses must adopt and follow different techniques and methodologies and one best approach is the use of mug through which the patients will remember the need to adhere to the medications and the harm they can have if they do not comply (Nau DP, Chao & Aikens, 2005). It has also been observed that the concordance and non-concordance of the medications also depends on the behavior and approach of the doctor or the consultant who is dealing with the patient. If the doctor that is treating the patient has the ability and capability of persuading the patient to follow the prescribed medicine then only he is a successful professional. It is the success of the doctor that his patients strictly observe the prescribed medicines and care routine. A good doctor is always in search of new techniques to be adopted in order to help the patient to adhere to the medications. Besides the doctor it is also the responsibility of the family and the social circle of the patient to motivate and persuade him towards observing the medications that have been prescribed to him. It is a very important factor that the family and the surrounding must be very persuasive and encouraging then only the patient can get the strength and courage of strictly following the prescribed medications. The family can make the mug on which slogans are written, the personal mug of the patient so that it can serve as a constant reminder for him (Linn MW, Linn BS, Skyler, & Harris, 1980). Another major reason for not observing concordance in medications for type 2 diabetes is the lack of information and knowledge among the patients. It is necessary that the patient must be fully and completely aware of the details of the disease that is diabetes of type 2. If the patient is not aware about the disease, its details, the reasons for the disease, the symptoms, the precautions that must be taken, the medicines that must be taken, the diet that must be followed, the hazards that can occur if the proper diet and medicine is not followed, and many other details. If the patient is aware of the details of the disease then he will certainly exhibit certain precautions and great care towards his health and will abstain from observing from any sort of carelessness or any sort of non-concordance in medications. The way through which the patient can become aware of such details is by using a mug on which various messages and illustrations have been printed (Hulka BS, Cassel JC, Kupper LL, & Burdette JA, 1976). Diabetes of type 2 is a chronic disease that is spreading very rapidly in the whole world and it is spreading in people of all ages and this disease is not restricted to any age group but is spreading rapidly among people of all ages, whether he is a child or an old age. The disease also comes with certain complications which sometimes even results in death. As this disease is becoming a major topic of concern, different government bodies have been actively participating in campaigns to aware the people of this disease and spread the message of observing and strictly following concordance with medications (George, Elliott & Stewart, 2008). It is the main objective and concern of health care teams to promote the awareness of concordance with the prescribed medications. Concordance with medications refers to the observing and following of the medications, diet and lifestyle changes. Non-concordance of medications is generally observed in patients having diabetes of type 2 (Unger, 2010). Non-concordance of medications in type 2 diabetes is becoming so alarming that throughout the world different steps are being taken and several different methods are being developed to improve concordance of medication so that the death rate can be reduced and the prevention and control of this disease can be improved up to a great extent. Many studies and researches are being conducted and carried out in order to find out solutions, techniques and methodologies in order to promote awareness among the patient to observe concordance to medications (Feinglos & Bethel, 2008). Studies and surveys are being conducted in order to find out the reasons and factors that are responsible for non-concordance of medications. It is necessary that the factors that are responsible for non-concordance of medications be known so that the doctors and researchers can develop techniques and methods according the the factors and the doctors can treat and communicate with the patients in a way that will be more effective and help in persuading the patient towards concordance of medications. It has been found put that using a mug to deliver the message is a very effective method (Bergenstal RM, Freemantle N, Leyk M, Cutler GB JR, Hayes RP, & Muchmore DB, 2009) Patient’s health will not improve until the patient regularly observes and follows the medications, proper diet and any change in his life and social activities as prescribed by the doctor. Non-concordance of medications has several many disadvantages. The health of the patient suffers a lot due to non-concordance of medications and on the other hand besides patient’s health there is a loss of productivity and wastage of products (Garber, 2001). It has been observed that the steps that are being taken in order to reduce non-adherence of medications have not proved much effective and operative and the people are still observing non-concordance of medications (Annese V, Bassotti G, Caruso N, DE Cosmo S, Gabbrielli A, Modoni S, Frusciante V & Andriulli, 1999). The steps that are generally taken involve educating the people regarding the disease that is diabetes type 2 but the people must be communicated in a way that they understand. Uneducated and illiterate people cannot understand the details of the disease and everything will fly over their heads. A method of communicating small easy messages in simple language must be adopted so that it is understandable by everyone. In this perspective using a mug to deliver and convey the message is a very efficient method (Fincham, 2007). Simple messages in easy language with reference to the concordance of medications and information regarding the threats that are involved due to non-concordance of medications can be printed in different styles, fonts, colors and ways on mugs to make them more attractive and approachable (Barnett, 2008). In order to prevent diabetes type 2 in patients it is necessary that changes in the lifestyle be made. Without having interventions in the life style of diabetes type 2 patients it is not possible to prevent the threats and risks involved and associated with the disease. In order to control diabetes among the people it is necessary that modifications are brought in a variety of life style activities and medicines (Hajos, Polonsky, Twisk, Dain, & Snoek, 2011). Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease and therefore it becomes very necessary for the patient to observe strict adherence to medications, diet and changes in life style activities. Therefore such patients must be given extra care and the patients must be made to strictly observe all sorts of restrictions (Choby, 2009). Diabetes type2 disease is a very serious and chronic disease and is widely and rapidly spreading in all parts of the world and its compliance to all the requirements and restrictions of the disease is very difficult for anyone to adhere to all the restrictions. It is necessary that the patients are made to adhere to all the restrictions so that their lives can be protected (Bergenstal, Freemantle, Leyk, Cutler, Hayes, & Muchmore, 2009). In order to make the patients adhere to the prescribed routine and medications it is necessary that doctors, nurses, care takers and researchers develop and adopt new methods and techniques to create awareness among the patients and make them realize the importance of concordance and adherence to the medications and other factors that are responsible for preventing diabetes type 2 in people. 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