title: Medication comprehension and safety in older adults.
abstract: Older adults constitute just 13% of the U.S. population, but consume 35% of all prescription drugs. They are at a particularly high risk of serious adverse events due to errors in medication-taking, but little is known about the instructions community-dwelling elders receive about their medications, or how they organize their medications at home. This Issue Brief summarizes research that describes home-based patterns of medication use in elderly patients, and for one high-risk medication, analyzes the relationship between recall of instructions and subsequent drug-related hospitalizations. These findings may help clinicians better predict and monitor their patients' adherence to prescription drug regimens.
authors.affiliation: Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, and Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, Philadelphia VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Joshua P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Metlay
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D032882:Comprehension; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D006801:Humans; D055118:Medication Adherence; D008508:Medication Errors; D011939:Mental Recall; D010045:Outpatients; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D055553:Prescription Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012449:Safety; D012646:Self Administration / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D055553:Prescription Drugs