Education Program Spurs Blacks to Take Blood Pressure Medswashingtonpost.comWEDNESDAY, Nov. 12 (HealthDay News) — A patient education program that included encouragement and occasional gifts improved medication adherence — taking medicines consistently and correctly — among black Americans with high blood pressure, a new study found.“African-Americans have been shown in some studies to be nearly twice as likely to not take their medicines when compared to Caucasians,” study lead author Dr. Olugbenga Ogedegbe, an associate professor of medicine at New York University School of Medicine, said in an American Heart Association news release.The study included 252 black patients whose medication adherence was measured with electronic monitors installed on the caps of blood pressure pill bottles.Those who received standard high blood pressure information, bi-monthly phone calls reminding them of positive life experiences, and six unexpected gifts by mail (including an umbrella and duffle bag) took their medication 43 percent of the time over 12 months. Patients who just received a workbook on hypertension (high blood pressure) with no additional intervention took their medication 36 percent of the time. (more…)===This reminds me of a post I did last year (”Let’s Break This Joint”). The following is an excerpt from an article reporting on the study on Blacks and Medicare.Along with race, other factors appeared to increase the risk of patients checking out against medical advice. Patients receiving Medicaid, the government health insurance program for the poor, were three times more likely than patients with private insurance to self-discharge. Also at greater risk were patients on Medicare, the federal insurance program for older Americans. Younger patients self-discharged more often than older patients, and men did so more often than women.Even with factors like insurance and income considered, however, African-American race was still independently linked to a higher risk of self-discharge. (link to the full post and article)Once again, our government has to play the role of mommy. Health care is given at a reduced rate AND STILL folks have to be prodded with trinkets and treats to help themselves. You will never hear of anybody making a big deal out of this. Why? Because the sociobots who are driving the health care discussion in this country are too busy trying to get “47 million people” covered with the same health care. Never mind the actual makeup of that 47 million [1, 2, 3, 4].Keep banging that cowbell, folks. Eventually we’ll get numb to the stupidity of increasing the government’s role in our health care.
