Intervening at the Intersection of Medication Adherence and Health Literacy

• Nonadherence to medication regimens is a problem in the older adult population.
• Costs include poor outcomes, increased use of resources, and billions of dollars.
• Health literacy is a significant cause of nonadherence.
• Eight interventions to improve medication adherence are provided.
• Nurses play a crucial role in resolving the problems of medication adherence.

Medications play a prominent role in the treatment of many illnesses. Failing to adhere to prescribed medication regimens contributes to an array of poor health outcomes. In addition to the cost in terms of human suffering, the financial cost of medication nonadherence is staggering. Poor health literacy has been identified as a major cause of medication nonadherence. This paper focuses on nonadherence related to health literacy in the older adult population in the United States. Eight simple interventions to aid health care personnel in working with this population to improve adherence are provided.