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21 May 2008
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has spoken out on the importance of patients understanding prescribed medications and treatments.
It is vital that patients continue with a full course of treatment for the prescribed time even once they begin to notice an improvement in symptoms.
David Lewis, director of corporate affairs at ABPI, explained: "Some people start on a course of medicines and a few days later they feel better and stop taking them. This can be wrong because it may not have killed off the bug or the condition that was being treated.
"There are all sorts of implications that can result… There are cases whereby if you don't complete a course you may become even more ill and end up in the casualty ward of a hospital."
A joint report by the ABPI and the Long-term Conditions Alliance (LTCA) has found that although the majority of patients were satisfied with their appointments, 2.7 million adults felt their choice of hospital treatment was not adequately reviewed.
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