title: Information on actual medication use and drug-related problems in older patients: questionnaire or interview?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Information on medication use and drug-related problems is important in the preparation of clinical medication reviews. Critical information can only be provided by patients themselves, but interviewing patients is time-consuming. Alternatively, patient information could be obtained with a questionnaire.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In this study the agreement between patient information on medication use and drug-related problems in older patients obtained with a questionnaire was compared with information obtained during an interview.
  
  
  METHODS
  General practice in The Netherlands.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire was developed to obtain information on actual medication use and drug-related problems. Two patient groups ≥65 years were selected based on general practitioner electronic medical records in nine practices; I. polypharmacy and II. ≥1 predefined general geriatric problems. Eligible patients were asked to complete the questionnaire and were interviewed afterwards.
  
  
  METHODS
  Agreement on information on medication use and drug-related problems collected with the questionnaire and interview was calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ninety-seven patients participated. Of all medications used, 87.6 % (95 % CI 84.7-90.5) was reported identically in the questionnaire and interview. Agreement for the complete medication list was found for 45.4 % (95 % CI 35.8-55.3) of the patients. On drug-related problem level, agreement between questionnaire and interview was 75 %. Agreement tended to be lower in vulnerable patients characterized by ≥4 chronic diseases, ≥10 medications used and low health literacy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Information from a questionnaire showed reasonable agreement compared with interviewing. The patients reported more medications and drug-related problems in the interview than the questionnaire. Taking the limitations into account, a questionnaire seems a suitable tool for medication reviews that may replace an interview for most patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice and Elderly Care Medicine, Institute for Health and Care Research, EMGO+, VU University Medical Center, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. f.willeboordse@vumc.nl.|Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research, NIVEL, Po. Box 1568, 3500 BN, Utrecht, The Netherlands. f.willeboordse@vumc.nl.
authors.forename: Floor
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Willeboordse
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice and Elderly Care Medicine, Institute for Health and Care Research, EMGO+, VU University Medical Center, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Lucienne H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Grundeken
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice and Elderly Care Medicine, Institute for Health and Care Research, EMGO+, VU University Medical Center, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Lisanne P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: van den Eijkel
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice and Elderly Care Medicine, Institute for Health and Care Research, EMGO+, VU University Medical Center, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.|Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research, NIVEL, Po. Box 1568, 3500 BN, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: François G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Schellevis
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice and Elderly Care Medicine, Institute for Health and Care Research, EMGO+, VU University Medical Center, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Petra J M
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Elders
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacy, VU University Medical Center, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jacqueline G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Hugtenburg
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions / Q000517:prevention & control*; D057286:Electronic Health Records / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D008297:Male; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000592:standards; D019338:Polypharmacy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*
keywords: Actual medication use; Clinical medication review; Drug-related problems; Netherlands; Patient questionnaire; Polypharmacy
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