Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Do older adults know the purpose of their medications? A survey among community-dwelling people

  • Pharmacoepidemiology and Prescription
  • Published:
European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

This study assessed the level of knowledge among community-dwelling older individuals about the purpose of medications and the characteristics that influenced that knowledge. We focused on drugs frequently used and/or often involved in iatrogenic events.

Methods

This cross-sectional survey included 2690 community-dwelling older adults, aged 68 years and above, who reported using at least one drug of interest, in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland. Participants reported drugs that they currently used and described their purpose. A good knowledge level was defined as knowledge of the exact purpose or identification of the anatomical system or organ targeted by the drug. We performed a multivariate logistic regression analysis to identify factors associated with a good knowledge level for all drugs of interest. Sampling weights were employed to provide representative estimates.

Results

On average, patients had good knowledge of 80.6% of the drugs reported. The highest knowledge levels were demonstrated for non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs, antidiabetics, analgesics, and endocrinological drugs and the lowest for platelet aggregation inhibitors, minerals, anticoagulants, and other narrow therapeutic index drugs. Overall, 66% of participants had good knowledge of the purpose of all the drugs of interest. Polypharmacy and receiving help with drug management were negatively associated with good knowledge (adjusted OR4–5 drugs 0.45; 95% CI 0.29–0.71, adjusted OR≥ 6 drugs 0.20; 95% CI 0.13–0.31, and adjusted ORhelp 0.42; 95% CI 0.18–0.99).

Conclusion

This study showed that education about drugs was lacking among patients that received multiple drugs, particularly patients that used anticoagulants and antiplatelet inhibitors.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Fried TR, O’Leary J, Towle V et al (2014) Health outcomes associated with polypharmacy in community-dwelling older adults: a systematic review. J Am Geriatr Soc 62:2261–2272. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.13153

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Franceschi M, Scarcelli C, Niro V et al (2008) Prevalence, clinical features and avoidability of adverse drug reactions as cause of admission to a geriatric unit: a prospective study of 1756 patients. Drug Saf 31:545–556

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Passarelli MCG, Jacob-Filho W, Figueras A (2005) Adverse drug reactions in an elderly hospitalised population: inappropriate prescription is a leading cause. Drugs Aging 22:767–777

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Kongkaew C, Noyce PR, Ashcroft DM (2008) Hospital admissions associated with adverse drug reactions: a systematic review of prospective observational studies. Ann Pharmacother 42:1017–1025. https://doi.org/10.1345/aph.1L037

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Beijer HJM, de Blaey CJ (2002) Hospitalisations caused by adverse drug reactions (ADR): a meta-analysis of observational studies. Pharm World Sci 24:46–54

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Reeve E, Shakib S, Hendrix I et al (2014) Review of deprescribing processes and development of an evidence-based, patient-centred deprescribing process. Br J Clin Pharmacol 78:738–747. https://doi.org/10.1111/bcp.12386

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  7. Thorneloe RJ, Griffiths CEM, Ashcroft DM, Cordingley L (2017) The challenges of assessing patients’ medication beliefs: a qualitative study. BMC Health Serv Res 17:119. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-017-2020-y

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  8. Kristensson J, Modig S, Midlöv P et al (2010) Healthcare utilisation and knowledge concerning prescribed drugs among older people. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 66:1047–1054. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-010-0837-y

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. O’Neil CK, Poirer TI (1998) Impact of patient knowledge, patient-pharmacist relationship, and drug perceptions on adverse drug therapy outcomes. Pharmacotherapy 18:333–340

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Scott I, Jayathissa S (2010) Quality of drug prescribing in older patients: is there a problem and can we improve it? Intern Med J 40:7–18. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1445-5994.2009.02040.x

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Bosch-Lenders D, Maessen DWHA, Stoffers HEJHJ et al (2016) Factors associated with appropriate knowledge of the indications for prescribed drugs among community-dwelling older patients with polypharmacy. Age Ageing 45:402–408. https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afw045

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Guénette L, Moisan J (2011) Elderly people’s knowledge of the purpose of their medicines. Am J Geriatr Pharmacother 9:49–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjopharm.2011.02.007

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Kwint H-F, Stolk G, Faber A et al (2013) Medication adherence and knowledge of older patients with and without multidose drug dispensing. Age Ageing 42:620–626. https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/aft083

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Barat I, Andreasen F, Damsgaard EM (2001) Drug therapy in the elderly: what doctors believe and patients actually do. Br J Clin Pharmacol 51:615–622

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  15. Modig S, Kristensson J, Ekwall AK et al (2009) Frail elderly patients in primary care--their medication knowledge and beliefs about prescribed medicines. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 65:151–155. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-008-0581-8

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Blenkiron P (1996) The elderly and their medication: understanding and compliance in a family practice. Postgrad Med J 72:671–676

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  17. Franchitti J, Desmaizières M, Reuter P-G et al (2015) Patient knowledge about their treatment according to the therapeutic class: misplaced antiplatelet. Presse Medicale Paris Fr 1983 44:354–356. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lpm.2014.10.005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Santos-Eggimann B, Karmaniola A, Seematter-Bagnoud L et al (2008) The Lausanne cohort Lc65+: a population-based prospective study of the manifestations, determinants and outcomes of frailty. BMC Geriatr 8:20. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2318-8-20

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  19. Santos-Eggimann B, Meylan L (2017) Older citizens’ opinions on long-term care options: a vignette survey. J Am Med Dir Assoc 18:326–334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2016.10.010

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Interactions médicamenteuses et cytochromes - ANSM : Agence nationale de sécurité du médicament et des produits de santé. http://ansm.sante.fr/Dossiers/Interactions-medicamenteuses/Interactions-medicamenteuses-et-cytochromes/(offset)/1. Accessed 16 Jan 2018

  21. highalertmedications.pdf. http://www.ismp.org/Tools/highalertmedications.pdf. Accessed 16 Jan 2018

  22. Heng C, Rybarczyk-Vigouret MC, Michel B (2015) Anticoagulant-related hospital admissions: serious adverse reactions identified through hospital databases. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 24:144–151. https://doi.org/10.1002/pds.3688

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Lowe CJ, Raynor DK, Courtney EA et al (1995) Effects of self medication programme on knowledge of drugs and compliance with treatment in elderly patients. BMJ 310:1229–1231

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  24. Kerzman H, Baron-Epel O, Toren O (2005) What do discharged patients know about their medication? Patient Educ Couns 56:276–282. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2004.02.019

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

The 2012 survey was funded by the Canton of Vaud Department of Public Health. Since 2004, the Lc65+ project was funded by the University of Lausanne Hospital; the Canton of Vaud Department of Public Health; the University of Lausanne Faculty of Biology and Medicine; the Loterie Romande (non-profit organization supporting research and social projects); the Fondation Médecine Sociale et Préventive, Lausanne; and the City of Lausanne.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

LH: analysis and interpretation, drafting the article.

BSE: study conception and design, interpretation, critical revision, final approval.

MH: study conception and design, interpretation, critical revision, final approval.

PC and AHD: interpretation, critical revision, final approval.

Sponsor’s role: the funding bodies did not contribute or influence the study design or findings.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marie Herr.

Ethics declarations

Informed consent was obtained from all individuals included in the study.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Electronic supplementary material

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hoisnard, L., Santos-Eggimann, B., Chauvin, P. et al. Do older adults know the purpose of their medications? A survey among community-dwelling people. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 75, 255–263 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-018-2575-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-018-2575-5

Keywords

Navigation