Perceived versus actual medication regimens among internal medicine patients. Mil Med 2004 Jun;169(6):451-4
Date
07/30/2004Pubmed ID
15281675DOI
10.7205/milmed.169.6.451Scopus ID
2-s2.0-4344612171 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 10 CitationsAbstract
Exchange of accurate information between patients and medical providers is imperative for appropriate medication prescribing. We performed an evaluation of medication regimens of patients with information obtained independently from patient-completed surveys and nursing and provider interviews. The actual medication regimen was determined after the clinic encounter via mail-in forms or telephone interviews with patients reporting current medications directly from prescription bottles. Two hundred thirteen patients taking an average of 3.8 prescription medications were enrolled. Patients, nurses, and primary care providers were modestly accurate in reporting the number of medications being taken (kappa, 0.57,0.51, and 0.58, respectively); however, they performed poorly in reporting complete medication regimens as defined by the correct names, doses, and frequencies with 100% accuracy (34%, 26.7%, and 29.3%, respectively). Patients who created their own lists were more accurate than those who relied on memory, lists provided by providers, or discharge summaries. These findings indicate a significant difference between intended versus actual medication regimens at home.
Author List
McKinley BT, Mulhall BP, Jackson JLAuthor
Jeffrey L. Jackson MD Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdultAged
Aged, 80 and over
Clinical Competence
Drug Administration Schedule
Drug Prescriptions
Female
Health Care Surveys
Hospitals, Military
Humans
Internal Medicine
Interviews as Topic
Male
Mental Recall
Middle Aged
Patient Compliance
Surveys and Questionnaires
Washington
