WASHINGTON, March 22 (UPI) -- A pill card -- an illustrated medication schedule -- can help people stay on track to take their medications correctly, a government agency said.
Free, online instructions for creating a pill card using a personal or laptop computer and printer are available from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a part of the Department of Health and Human Services.
One in four Americans do not take prescription medicines as prescribed and adherence to medication instructions is particularly important when people have chronic illnesses such as diabetes or heart failure, the AHRQ said in a statement.
"Many people who fail to adhere to medication instructions do so because they do not understand how to take their medicines," the agency said. "Medication non-adherence costs an estimated $100 billion annually in hospital admissions, doctor visits, lab tests, and nursing home admissions."
How to Create a Pill Card is intended for anyone who takes medicines regularly or who cares for someone who does. To download the instructions, visit http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/pillcard/pillcard.htm.
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