Adherence to medication during COVID

The Corona virus pandemic has put an unbearable strain on health systems, in both the developed and the developing world. And it affects may other aspects of health, even the perception and handling of other illness as Covid takes center stage due to its novel nature.

When one tests positive for COVID-19, there are important considerations to note during therapy such as comorbidities, which are preexisting illnesses. As a truism, the COVID-19 mortality rate is higher in the patients with comorbidities, whether acute or chronic condition, although more of it is seen with the latter. But the focus on COVID-19 can be at the expense of every other disease that one carries and so it is important that one adheres to the medication prescribed for that ailment and any interaction it may have on the COVID-19 therapy should be assessed and adherence encouraged.

Patients are at an increased risk of severe illness if they carry one or more of the following illnesses; obesity, medical complexity, severe genetic disorders, sever neurologic disorders, inherent metabolic disorders, sickle cell disease, congenital heart disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, asthma among others.

These comorbidities increase rick of mortality due to COVID-19 and for chronic conditions, the social distancing and the movement restrictions disrupt the supply of medications for chronic illnesses to intended users.

Retail pharmacy outlets are the easiest way for patients to access their medication. The contribution of community pharmacists in these facilities to manage chronic conditions and promote medication adherence during this COVID-19 pandemic is essential in easing the burden on the already strained health systems.

The onus is on community pharmacists to provide accurate and measured information on the risks of non-adherence and encourage patients to continue taking their medication by utilization of the available industry innovations, such as drug delivery systems.

As noticed that in persons with a low socio-economic status, there are challenges in keeping up with good health behaviors and medication adherence. The health caregivers who oversee the administration of these medications ought to be even more vigilant in this period to ensure that there aren’t missed doses that may affect health or worsen pre existing conditions.

As the pandemic rages on, these important considerations should be fronted to ensure that the pandemic doesn’t increase the strain on health systems and affect health services offered for other ailments or in cases of comorbidities with COVID-19.



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