title: Oversights, confusions and misinterpretations related to self-care and medication in diabetic and renal patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyse information about the errors made by diabetic and renal patients based on information provided by professionals (general practitioners, specialists, and nurses) and the patients themselves.
  
  
  METHODS
  A descriptive study was carried out by interviewing 199 patients and 60 professionals from the Spanish provinces of Alicante and Madrid. The interview explored the frequencies and types of oversights, confusions, and misinterpretations and the factors that contributed to them.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 199 patients, 59 (29.5%) and 42 (70%) of the 60 professionals considered that patients frequently made errors that affected the success of their treatment. There were no differences in the frequency of the reported errors based on gender (p = 0.7), educational level (p = 0.9), or marital status (p = 0.5). The most commonly reported errors were taking the wrong medication (n = 70; 35%) and mixing up medicines (n = 15; 7.5%). Diabetics who had not been adequately informed, compared to renal patients, reported a higher number of errors (p = 0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patient errors were frequent because of communication failures and confusions. Diabetic patients had a higher chance of committing an error than renal patients. Patient education must include clear and personalized instructions for improving self-care and reducing risks when using medicines.
authors: Miguel Hernández University, Elche, Spain.
authors: José J
authors: JJ
authors: Mira
authors: Lidia
authors: L
authors: Ortiz
authors: Susana
authors: S
authors: Lorenzo
authors: Catalina
authors: C
authors: Royuela
authors: Julián
authors: J
authors: Vitaller
authors: Virtudes
authors: V
authors: Pérez-Jover
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003142:Communication; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D051437:Renal Insufficiency / Q000628:therapy*; D012648:Self Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013030:Spain