What should I do if I can't pick up my medicines after I leave the hospital?

Over three million Americans experience transportation barriers to health care access.¹ Access to medication refills are affected by transportation barriers, especially in lower socioeconomic status populations.² Patients who get readmitted to the hospital report difficulty accessing discharge medications as a reason for readmission.³ A recent systematic review found that in 25 separate studies, 10–51 % of patients reported that transportation was a barrier to health care access.² Two-thirds of patients in one study of recently discharged cardiac patients said transportation to the pharmacy would improve medication adherence after discharge.⁴ Studies show that patients with coronary artery disease or diabetes who don’t pick up the prescriptions given to them as they leave the hospital are more likely to get readmitted to the hospital, and even die at higher rates.^5,6 Enlisting help of family or friends may be very beneficial. Previous research in heart failure patients has demonstrated that social support may improve outpatient medication adherence and help them stay free of cardiac events over a 3.5-year period.⁷ Given that patients may not anticipate the difficulty of getting to the pharmacy and getting their medications in a timely manner, it is imperative to make a plan before discharge to avoid patient harm and negative clinical outcomes.

^References

1. Wallace R, Hughes-Cromwick P, Mull H, Khasnabis S. Access to Health Care and Nonemergency Medical Transportation: Two Missing Links. http://dxdoiorg/103141/1924-10. 2006.
2. Syed ST, Gerber BS, Sharp LK. Traveling towards disease: transportation barriers to health care access. J Community Health. 2013;38(5):976-93.
3. Kangovi S, Grande D, Meehan P, Mitra N, Shannon R, Long JA. Perceptions of readmitted patients on the transition from hospital to home. J Hosp Med. 2012;7(9):709-12.
4. Kripalani S, Henderson LE, Jacobson TA, Vaccarino V. Medication use among inner-city patients after hospital discharge: patient-reported barriers and solutions. Mayo Clin Proc. 2008;83(5):529-35.
5. Ho PM, Rumsfeld JS, Masoudi FA, McClure DL, Plomondon ME, Steiner JF, et al. Effect of medication nonadherence on hospitalization and mortality among patients with diabetes mellitus. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166(17):1836-41.
6. Ho PM, Spertus JA, Masoudi FA, Reid KJ, Peterson ED, Magid DJ, et al. Impact of medication therapy discontinuation on mortality after myocardial infarction. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166(17):1842-7.
7. Wu JR, Frazier SK, Rayens MK, Lennie TA, Chung ML, Moser DK. Medication adherence, social support, and event-free survival in patients with heart failure. Health Psychol. 2013;32(6):637-46.