National “Script Your Future” Competition Encourages Medication Adherence
Taking medication correctly may seem like a simple matter, but non-adherence is common, complicated, and seriously dangerous.
Script Your Future, a two-month national intercollegiate competition ending March 16, aims to raise awareness among their caregivers about the importance of taking medication as prescribed as a vital first step toward better health outcomes. Pacific University School of Pharmacy is participating in this annual campaign for for the second time. In this campaign, teams of health profession students and faculty raise awareness about medication adherence as a critical public health issue.
Nearly three out of four Americans report that they do not always take their medicine as directed. When this happens, patients can forego life-saving benefits, miss out on a better quality of life, and lose protection against future illness or serious health complications.
For instance, not keeping blood pressure in check can lead to heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure. Not keeping diabetes under control can lead to amputation, blindness, and heart disease. Not taking your medicine as directed can do more than just send you to the hospital– almost 125 thousand people die each year because they did not take their medicine as directed.
Students in the School of Pharmacy have produced an educational video about the campaign. One of the main goals is to get the word out to as many people as possible, and you can participate! The Pacific University Script Your Future team is looking for preceptors for our public outreach events, including:
Health Fair
St. Matthew’s Church, Hillsboro
Feb. 4
7 a.m. to noon
Tet Festival
Feb. 18
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Another way to spread the word is by liking the Pacific University Script Your Future Facebook page and share it with your community.
If you are interested in precepting, or if you have ideas for additional outreach (e.g. hosting a medication adherence event at your pharmacy), please contact Maddie Fry, PharmD, BCACP.