ELDERLY PATIENTS PROBLEMS WITH MEDICATION - AN IN-HOSPITAL AND FOLLOW-UP-STUDY

Objectives: To examine medication problems during a stay in hospital a nd after discharge and to identify risk factors that contribute to poo r compliance with medication a prospective observational study was car ried out in an university-affiliate geriatic hospital and a patients' home. Patients. One hundred and nineteen patients admitted from home t o the geriatric hospital underwent a comprehensive geriatric assessmen t. They were also tested in opening and removing tablets from various common medicine containers. Drug prescriptions before, during and afte r the hospital stay were recorded. Medication use at home was observed by a member of a hospital-based home intervention team. The patients' reports of their drug therapy was compared with those by their family doctors. Results: Of all tested patients 10.1% failed to open at leas t one container. This inability was associated with poor vision, impai red cognitive function and low manual dexterity. Compliance with presc ribed medication was associated with cognitive function, ability to ha ndle medication containers, number of prescribed drugs and recent chan ges in drug prescriptions. Of the patients only 39.5% had stable drug prescriptions during the 3-month study period. Doctor/patient agreemen t concerning drug therapy was low in all age groups. The agreement rat e and patients' knowledge of their treatment was correlated with cogni tive function and the number of prescribed drugs. Conclusion: Patients ' ability to open and remove tablets from common commercial packages/c ontainers should be tested routinely during a stay in hospital. Manage ment of medication should be taught and supervised within the first fe w days after discharge from hospital.