Peer responses discussion 1 WK11 SOCW 6443 

Respond to the two colleagues posts that have been provided separately in one of the following ways:

Explain how social identity, power, privilege, and marginalization may impact the reason for non-adherence identified by your colleague.

Elaborate on your colleague’s strategy for working with an interdisciplinary team.

Explain how a social worker’s role may differ from other health professionals when addressing medication adherence.

Intext citations and full references

Peer 1: Noelia Antonio 

RE: Discussion 1 – Week 11

Top of Form

Medication nonadherence can create complications, such as exacerbating symptoms and increased morbidity. There are various reasons why an individual would not take their medication as prescribed. These reasons include education level, complex treatment, and a poor therapeutic relationship between the professional and the patient (Kleinsinger, 2018). 

There are some individuals that struggle to read instructions, due to educational attainment or literacy skills. Individuals with poor literacy skills can struggle to understand instructions listed on their bottle, and may feel too embarrassed to ask for help in reading these instructions (Jimmy & Jose, 2011). A poor therapeutic relationship can lead to miscommunication or misunderstandings on behalf of the individual. Individuals reported after being informed of their medication regimen, that they misunderstood the information given to them. They also did not express that they misunderstood the information and did not ask for clarification (Jimmy & Jose, 2011). The complexity of treatment can also lead to nonadherence. Jimmy and Jose (2011) state “improper timing of drug administration, or administration of numerous medications at frequent or unusual times during the day” (p. 156). It is difficult to change an individual’s behaviors, even if these behaviors are sometimes crucial (Kleinsinger, 2018). 

In addressing the issue of medication non-adherence, social workers can help by assessing the lifestyle of the individual to see how their medication regimen fits into their lifestyle. The social worker can work collaboratively with the prescribing professional to determine if there are other, less complex regimens that would work better for the individual. In addressing barriers between the individual and the professional, the social worker can intervene by addressing these barriers. The social worker, with the consent of the individual, can bring about these issues to the other professional to help improve communication (Remington, Rodriguez, Logan, et al., 2013). In individuals that are struggling with understanding direction due to a lack of literacy skills, going over their regimen can help clarify anything they are unable to understand. Reading it to them, and clarifying it, can help reduce any misunderstanding.

References:

Jimmy, B., & Jose, J. (2011). Patient medication adherence: measures in daily practice. Oman medical journal, 26(3), 155–159. https://doi.org/10.5001/omj.2011.38

Kleinsinger F. (2018). The Unmet Challenge of Medication Nonadherence. The Permanente journal, 22, 18–033. https://doi.org/10.7812/TPP/18-033 

Remington, G., Rodriguez, Y., Logan, D., Williamson, C., & Treadaway, K. (2013). Facilitating medication adherence in patients with multiple sclerosis. International journal of MS care, 15(1), 36-45.

Peer 2: Nicole Owens 

RE: Discussion 1 – Week 11

Top of Form

Describe 2-3 different reasons why an individual may not take their medication as prescribed.

Medication adherence is challenging and individuals may not adhere to their medications for several reasons. The first is high drug cost. Some people are unable to pay for their medications because they are uninsured or uneducated about rx cards to assist in payment. Some people are also unemployed and cannot afford it. The second is adverse effects Every medications have side effect and patients may be frightened of the potential effect. A patient may have witnessed side effects experienced by someone else who was taken similar medications and believe the medication caused the problems ( Mishra et al., 2011). The third is a patient may feel instant relief which leads to self discontinuation of medications.  

Explain the role of the social worker in addressing medication adherence

Social workers can intervene by asking each patient to discuss in detail what his or her strategy is for filling and taking each prescriptions (Brown & Bussell, 2011). Social workers can monitor the effects of the medications and adherence to detect problems and work with the health care team to correct them (Brown & Bussell, 2011). Social workers can also teach patients to advocate for themselves should the medications or dosage no longer be effective. 

Describe specific skills or strategies you would use both with the client and the prescribing health professional to address medication adherence

I would use problem solving skills to determine if patients are adherent with taking their medications as prescribed or continuing to take medications (Mishra et al., 2011). I would build rapport with my patients to create an open and positive relationship so the patient feel comfortable expressing their health concerns. I will involve the physician with the patients permissions so that their can be a collaborative effort to provide support and motivation.

References 

Brown, M. T., & Bussell, J. K. (2011). Medication adherence: WHO cares?. Mayo Clinic proceedings, 86(4), 304–314. https://doi.org/10.4065/mcp.2010.0575

Mishra, S. I., Gioia, D., Childress, S., Barnet, B., & Webster, R. L. (2011). Adherence to medication regimens among low-income patients with multiple comorbid chronic conditions. Health & social work, 36(4), 249–258. https://doi.org/10.1093/hsw/36.4.249