Design to improve medication adherence for the elderly in China

Abstract

Elderly people are likely to suffer from different chronic diseases which need to be treated for long time. By now, medication is still one of the most widely accepted and adopted ways of treatments but how to promote the medication adherence for elderly is a global challenge. Statistics show that generally only 50% of the patients are adherent to prescriptions. In China, with the increase amount of elderly population, medication adherence is becoming an important issue in healthcare industry. This paper described a study to find out the medication adherence situation for elderly patients in China based on questionnaire and interview. The key findings both in cognitive and behavioral aspects are presented, and a design strategy with service design to promote medication adherence in China is proposed.