Congruence of self-reported medications with pharmacy prescription records in low-income older adults.
OBJECTIVE
This study examined the congruence of self-reported medications with computerized pharmacy records.


METHODS
Pharmacy records and self-reported medications were obtained for 294 members of a state pharmaceutical assistance program who also participated in ACTIVE, a clinical trial on cognitive training in nondemented elderly persons. The average age of the sample participants was 74.5 years (range = 65-91); 87.8% were females.


RESULTS
Congruence between self-report and pharmacy data was generally high. Self-reports omitted drug classes in the pharmacy records less often than the pharmacy records did not include self-reported drug classes. The percentage of individuals with perfect agreement between self-reports and pharmacy records varied from 49% for major drug classes to 81% for specific cardiovascular and central nervous system drugs. Within a drug class, agreement tended to be higher for individuals without a prescription in that class. Poorer health was consistently related to poorer self-report of medications.


CONCLUSIONS
Self-reported medications are most likely to be congruent with pharmacy records for drugs prescribed for more serious conditions, for more specific classes of drugs, and for healthier individuals.
Caskie
Grace I L
GI
Gerontology Center, The Pennsylvania State University, 135 E. Nittany Avenue, Suite 405, State College, PA, USA. caskie@psu.edu
Willis
Sherry L
SL
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016303:Clinical Pharmacy Information Systems / Q000592:standards*; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000145:classification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010414:Pennsylvania; D010594:Pharmacies; D011203:Poverty; D011996:Records; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012646:Self Administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012650:Self Disclosure