Medication review and education improve medicine compliance in older people,
a study has found.
Dr Catherine Lowe (division of academic pharmacy practice, University of Leeds)
and colleagues assessed patient understanding of medication and medicine compliance
in 161 people aged over 65. All patients were visited at home by a clinical
pharmacist and interviewed about their medication using a structured questionnaire.
A month’s supply of medication was subsequently delivered. Half the patients
also underwent a medication review which aimed to reduce dose
frequencies, discontinue unnecessary medication and modify medicine containers,
where necessary. Any changes in regimens were discussed with the patient and
they were supplied with a hand written drug chart. All patients were reassessed
after a month.
On reassessment, the mean compliance score for the intervention group was 91.3
per cent and for the control group was 79.5 per cent (P<0.0001). At the first
visit, 58 per cent of the intervention group and 67 per cent of the control
group correctly described the purpose of their medicine. At reassessment, these
figures changed to 88 per cent and 70 per cent, respectively.
The authors conclude: “Medication review and patient education in the community
can significantly improve patient knowledge of and compliance with medication
in the short term” (British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2000;50:172).