The United States appears to have a serious problem with medication nonadherence. This term basically refers to when someone either refuses, forgets, or improperly takes their prescribed medication, and it applies to more people than you might think. It is reported that around 25% of Americans will miss
at least one dose of their medication in their prescription,i
and up to ⅓ of Americans surveyed claim they are either willing to or have not properly taken their prescriptions without informing their doctor.

There are a myriad of reasons that people might not take their medication, however, there shouldn’t really be many reasons for someone to not take a prescribed dose of their medication. For
many, the first factor that comes to mind is the cost of prescription drugs. In America, rising drug prescription prices have become a real issue for those who may not be able to afford their medication, and 10% say they may not take their medication due to cost alone.iii The real issue that becomes prevalent is the negative effects that could come from medical nonadherence, and it is a much bigger problem than many might predict.

For those who take prescribed medication for chronic illnesses, 50% of prescriptions are taken incorrectly causing premature death rates to rise and increased hospitalizations.iv Furthermore, these
effects from misusing prescription drugs for chronic illnesses end up costing between $100 billion and $289 billion each year.v Evidently, there should be some measures taken to prevent this misuse, but it
seems like it could be harder to come up with a proper solution than some may think.

Multiple companies have attempted to resolve this issue using high-tech pill bottles connected to wi-fi that will send you a reminder to take your medication. It seems like a novel idea, but studies have
instead proven that these high-tech pill bottles are not as effective as one might think.vi With the ubiquity of technology taking place in seemingly so many different services, it makes sense that many different companies and organizations have created designs for pill bottles that rely on technology. The issue comes with the fact that these technologically adapted products usually rely on technological notifications and reminders, and that in most cases these are not effective in reminding or persuading patients to take their medication.

Now the question is, is there an effective way to stop this issue with medication nonadherence? Well, medical professionals have concluded that there appears to be a way patients are persuaded to
effectively remember their doses, and reduce the instances in which patients refuse to take their medication. This way is a system where instead, patients receive a positive response after taking there
dose of medication.viii Therefore, it would be best if instead of continuing these mostly ineffective systems of ”high-tech” prescription services, it would instead be best to promote these other ways to help patients who have difficulty taking their medication in order to help reduce the number of patients hurt by poor prescription service designs.