Script Your Future launches fourth annual Medication Adherence Team Challenge

WASHINGTON — January marks the launch of the fourth annual Medication Adherence Team Challenge, a two month-long inter-collegiate competition among health profession student teams and faculty for creating solutions to raise awareness about medication adherence as a critical public health issue.



The Challenge is returning to university campuses across the country after three years of student innovation. The Challenge is part of Script Your Future, a campaign launched by the National Consumers League and partners in 2011 to combat the problem of poor medication adherence. In the United States, nearly 3-out-of-4 patients do not take their medication as directed.



The Challenge is sponsored by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation, the American Medical Association, the National Community Pharmacists Association, American Association of Colleges of Nursing and the American Pharmacists Association.



During January and February, the inter-professional teams — including student pharmacists, nurses, doctors and others — will be implementing creative solutions and outreach in their communities to raise awareness and improve understanding about medication adherence using Script Your Future materials. At the end of the Challenge, select schools or colleges will be recognized nationally for their efforts to improve medication adherence.



“The success of the Script Your Future Adherence Challenge over the last three years demonstrates the power of collaboration between student pharmacists and their health profession counterparts to engage patients and caregivers to improve health through better adherence," said Lucinda L. Maine, EVP and CEO at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. "This year’s Challenge continues to build on the strength of the inter-professional healthcare team in hopes to move the needle on medication adherence.”



Over the past three Challenges, more than 5,000 future healthcare professionals directly counseled more than 22,000 patients and reached more than nine million consumers in this concerted public effort about the importance of medication adherence. Last year’s awardees were LECOM School of Pharmacy, St. Louis College of Pharmacy, Touro University California College of Pharmacy, Northeast Ohio Medical University College of Pharmacy and University of Wisconsin, School of Pharmacy.