New Conference in Copenhagen on Patient Compliance
“Drugs don’t work in patients who don’t take them”*
An international conference in Copenhagen gives attention to why patients do not take their medicines – and what we can do about it.
Every Second Patient does not take the Medicine as Prescribed
The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that between 1/3 and 2/3 of patients do not take the medication as prescribed*. Patient compliance rates are particularly low for patients on long-term treatment, where only every second patient takes the medicine as intended. The reasons for the high level of non-compliance and the solutions to the problem are less clear. Therefore, the Section for Social Pharmacy at the University of Copenhagen and Bang & Olufsen Medicom have joined forces and initiated Copenhagen Compliance & Concordance Conference in cooperation with Research Center for Quality in Medicine Use. The conference takes place in Copenhagen, Denmark, on May 30.
A Burning Issue for Society
Non-compliance can lead to a bad health condition, frequent hospitalizations and even death*. For society poor compliance is estimated to approximately 100 billions per year in the US*. These figures cannot be applied directly to Denmark*, but Ebba Holme Hansen, professor at the University of Copenhagen, states that “patient compliance is also a major problem in Denmark.”
“Increasing the effectiveness of adherence interventions may have a far greater impact on the health of the population than any improvement in specific medical treatments,” says Brian Haynes, professor at McMaster University, Canada. He will present his scientific results at Copenhagen Compliance & Concordance Conference.
Further Information on the Conference
Copenhagen Compliance & Concordance Conference takes place on May 30, 2008 in the elegant premises of Danish Design Center in Copenhagen, Denmark. The panel of speakers includes Professor Brian Haynes, McMaster University, Canada, and Jakob Axel Nielsen, Danish Minister of Health and Prevention, among many other interesting participants. Read more on the conference web site. www.farma.ku.dk/cccc A pre-conference session is arranged on May 29 for PhD students and scientists.
Contact
Marie Schleimann Knudstrup, marketing communication assistant, Bang & Olufsen Medicom, tel.: +45 42 12 59 02 / kdp@medicomnordic.com
Arne Christensen, PhD student, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, University of Copenhagen, tel.: +45 30 93 02 55 / ach@farma.ku.dk
Ebba Holme Hansen, Professor in Social Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, University of Copenhagen, tel.: +45 35 33 63 53 / ehh@farma.ku.dk
About Bang & Olufsen Medicom
B&O Medicom is a leading expert in the design, development and supply of innovative drug delivery devices and sensor based technologies with a focus on patient compliance. Read more here.
About the Section of Social Pharmacy
Lear more at: www.farma.ku.dk/samfundsfarmaci
References
*C. Everett Koop.
*WHO (2003): Adherence to Long-Term Therapies, Evidence for Action.
* Haynes et al. (2006): Interventions for enhancing medication adherence.
*Hopfield, Jessica et al. (2006): Getting patients to take their medication. McKinsey Quarterly.
*Institut for Rationel Farmakoterapi (2006): Compliance – Om afvigelser mellem lęgers ordinationer og patienternes faktiske medicinering.