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Poor Communication Leads To Non Compliance In Healthcare

By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Non compliance is the medical term used for when patients don't follow through with what the doctor has advised or prescribed. Guess what the biggest reason for non compliance happens to be.

If you guessed irresponsible patients, you are incorrect. The biggest problem is a lack of communication.

Studies have shown that the biggest problem with compliance is that far too many patients stop taking their medicine sooner than they are supposed to. For people with serious conditions like diabetes and heart disease, this isn't just a bad thing, it can be a killer.

A study of more than 1,500 people found that it only took one month after leaving the hospital for one out of eight heart attack patients to quit the life-saving drugs prescribed to them. The major reasons for quitting? Poor communication.

Sure there are other reasons including financial ones but a lot of this can be done with proper communication.

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