Medication regimen complexity and adherence among older adults.
Two studies were conducted to examine the relationship between medication regimen complexity and adherence among older adults recently discharged from hospitals (N = 178) and those not recently hospitalized (N = 98). Medication regimen complexity was measured by the Medication Complexity Index (Kelley, 1988), which measures the number, frequency, and types of actions required to enact a medication regimen. Adherence to the regimen was measured by pill count and verbal self-report. The negative correlations between regimen complexity and adherence were in the predicted direction but did not achieve statistical significance. Medication regimen complexity may have a larger impact on aspects of medication management other than adherence to the prescriptive regimen.
V S
VS
Conn
S G
SG
Taylor
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S
Kelley
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D010349:Patient Compliance; D012646:Self Administration; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires