Knowledge is Power
When it comes to my family, my step-dad is the only one that takes prescription medications. He has hypertension and hyperlipidemia. Prior to this assignment, I was even unsure what he was taking so it was interesting for me to ask him. Here is a recap of what was said:
Me: “Do you know what medication/s you are taking?”
Ray: “Yeeeea, ummm- let me walk into the bathroom and look at it.”
Me: “Would you recognize it if I said it, or have you never looked at the label?”
Ray: “No, I would recognize it, it’s fairly new becuase the last one I was on didn’t have a generic version so it was super expensive. Ok, its Benicar HCT.
Me: “Do you know what that is or what that means?”
Ray: “Yea, I did ask my doctor and from what I understand, it’s a heart medication with a diruetic to get rid of some of the fluids in my body.”
Me: “Wow, I am impressed. That is right.”
Ray: “Well honey, I only am on one medication. If I was on more than one, I would most likely mix them all up and have no idea what is what!”
Me: “See, that’s the problem that most people face….”
So, my stepdad passed my test! I was actually impressed becasuse he isn’t really the kind of guy that would care too much about the medication he is on. He is more of a “do what the doctor says and don’t ask questions” sort of guy. I thought his comment on him only knowing the medication because it is only on one was interesting. As I told him, that is a major issue with non-compliance today. People have so many prescriptions, they can’t keep them all straight and because of that, the desire to maintain their treatment because they “know” why they need the medication falls to the wayside. Then, they are back in the hospital- a trend that is happening far to often in America. This emphasis once again, the importance of patient education.
