COMPLIANCE STATISTICS – NORTH AMERICA
Compliance is a major problem. Physicians and nurses often overestimate a person’s ability to comprehend instructions and can reach the conclusion that they are unwilling to follow instructions. But the truth may lie in their inability to understand and follow written and spoken instructions. They may simply not be able to comply. It is our hope that the work we do opens up more doors to people who have low health literacy. Below are some staggering North American statistics that show the result of poor compliance.
• Estimated cost due to poor compliance is $ 303 billion every year. 30-60% do not follow the
..instructions correctly.
• Estimated cost to the Pharmaceutical industry $33+ billion every year.
• Annual healthcare cost for poor health literacy is 4X higher than patients with good health literacy.
• 60% of patients never ask the doctor the very questions they need answered—either about their
..own condition or about the treatments prescribed.
• 50% of patients stop taking their medications because they could not get answers to their
. questions.
• Doctors remain the most trusted source of health information; patients only recall 30% of what they
..have been told during a consultation; sadly 70% is not remembered.
• Patients who do not complete their medication programs correctly, have 3X more GP visits than ..
..compliant patients. The drop-off rate on long-term treatments can reach 90%.
• Non-compliance and low health literacy levels account for 10% of all hospital admissions and 20%
. of nursing homes admissions.
• 10-20% of initial prescriptions are never filled. 30-50% of repeat prescriptions are never collected.
• 60% of patients cannot identify their own medications.
• Nearly 40% of patients in North America need help to understand healthcare information.
• Patients with low health literacy skills are 50% more likely to be hospitalized.
