MORE than half of Australians consuming prescription medications could be following practices against their doctor's instructions, according to new findings from the Australian Patients Association.
The consumer perception survey of Australian Patients Association members found even those who considered themselves to be proficient at managing their medicines still engaged in unsafe practices.
The poll of 155 consumers found 78% of respondents were taking two or more medications, with the most common reasons being to manage chronic disease (42%) or to control pain (18%).
Half of those surveyed admitted to not completing their prescription as directed, while 38% failed to check expiry dates.
Some 85% said they were easily able to source reliable information on taking their medication and 81% had recently completed a review of their medicines with a general practitioner or pharmacist in the last six months.
See more at patients.org.au.
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