Webpage created 5/6/2026; verified for accessibility 5/6/26; last updated 5/8/2026
This Simulation is a Work in Progress
Non-compliance with prescribed drug regimens is a major health literacy issue that affects the quality of life and health of the nation as well as national healthcare costs. As but one example, poor compliance is considered as an important, if not the most significant, contributing factor in rejection of transplanted organs. Depending on the definition of non-compliance, it can range from 33% to more than 50%.
This free public health simulation, originally funded by the Thomas H. Maren Foundation, is provided as a community service. It addresses the important issue of health literacy and patient education and helps explore whether visualization of the effects of non-compliance, through a web-enabled intuitive, user-friendly interface may assist in promoting improved drug compliance. We also contemplate its use by physicians and healthcare personnel to educate patients. The initial drugs that are simulated and selected from a menu are: Amlodipine, Escitalopram, Glipizide, Hydrochlorothiazide, Lisinopril, and Metoprolol.
Using the simulation: Click and drag the pills on the timeline to remove or modify a dose to simulate non-compliance and observe the subsequent effects on the drug concentration. To add pills to the timeline, click and drag pills from the pill box. The recommended dose is deliberately shown as 2 pills so that halving the dose can be performed graphically. Two thresholds (the lower one for minimum therapeutic concentration and the upper one for toxic levels) can be set by clicking and dragging on the arrowheads to the left of the vertical Y axis.
We recommend the Google Chrome web browser to use Medication Dosing and Compliance: Patient Education
