Non-compliance and knowledge of prescribed medication in elderly patients with heart failure

AIMS: To determine the extent of non-compliance to prescribed medication in elderly patients with heart failure and to determine to what extent patients recall information given regarding their medication. METHODS AND RESULTS: Non-compliance and knowledge of prescribed medication was studied in 22 elderly heart failure patients [mean age 79 +/- 6 (range 70-97); 14 (64%) male], using in-depth interviews performed 30 days after having been prescribed medication. All patients received standardised verbal and written information regarding their medication. Only 12 (55%) patients could correctly name what medication had been prescribed, 11 (50%) were unable to state the prescribed doses and 14 (64%) could not account for when the medication was to be taken, i.e. at what time of day and when in relation to meals the medication was to be taken. In the overall assessment six (27%) patients were found non-compliant and 16 (73%) patients were considered as possibly being compliant with their prescribed medication. CONCLUSIONS: Non-compliance was common in elderly heart failure patients, as were shortcomings in patients knowledge regarding prescribed medication, despite efforts to give adequate information. There exists a need for alternative strategies to improve compliance in these patients.     

Haemodialysis patients' knowledge and beliefs about medication

Patient adherence to treatment continues to concern health professionals. Non-adherence is costly to: a) the patient in terms of health, psychological well-being and quality of life, b) the health care providers in terms of individual professionalism, job satisfaction and the provision of optimum care packages, and c) the managers in terms of finance and service planning. Several factors are thought to be influential in treatment adherence.     

Effects of a structured patient-centered discharge interview on patients' knowledge about their medications

PURPOSE: Many recently hospitalized patients lack knowledge about important aspects of their medications. We evaluated whether a structured discharge interview could improve medication knowledge. METHODS: Patients discharged with at least one discharge medication were recruited from two general internal medicine services (one experimental and one control) of a teaching hospital. During a 3-month baseline period, usual care at discharge was provided in both services. During the ensuing 3-month period, observation was continued in the control service; residents in the experimental service implemented the intervention, which consisted of a structured patient-centered discharge interview during which a computer-generated individualized treatment card was discussed with and provided to patients. One week after discharge, patients' knowledge about their medications was assessed by telephone. RESULTS: We enrolled a total of 809 patients. After adjustment for patients' characteristics and for the effect of time, the intervention significantly increased the percentage of medications for which patients correctly knew the purposes (adjusted difference = 6%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3% to 8%; P <0.001), possible side effects (adjusted difference = 19%; 95% CI: 9% to 29%; P <0.001), and precautions to observe (adjusted difference = 9%; 95% CI: 2% to 19%; P <0.001). However, the number of medications that patients discontinued after discharge was not modified. Patients with a better knowledge of side effects of their active treatment were less likely to discontinue their medications, but there were no associations with other types of knowledge. CONCLUSION: A structured patient-centered discharge interview, performed by residents using a standardized treatment card, significantly increased patients' knowledge about their medications. Its effects on compliance require further study.     

Leisure activities and service knowledge and use among the rural elderly

This exploratory study uses Andersen's service utilization model to examine the relationship between the leisure activity patterns of older people and their knowledge and use of health and social services. Hierarchical stepwise multiple regression analyses of data from 418 people ages 65 and older in rural Qu/ebec revealed that leisure activity patterns may explain a greater amount of variation in service knowledge and use than conventional need characteristics such as physical and psychological health. Various activity patterns were significantly related to knowledge and use of services even after controlling for variables such as age and health status. Although some types of leisure activities appeared to augment knowledge and use of services, others seemed to deter it. Future explanatory models of service utilization among the elderly should be expanded to include leisure activity patterns.     

斋堂社区老年人潜在不适当用药及其相关因素

目的使用不同潜在不适当用药(PIM)标准调查乡镇社区门诊PIM现状,分析PIM与医师处方、患者自身疾病及认知功能障碍等因素的关系,帮助提高乡镇门诊老年人合理用药水平。方法采取横断面研究,纳入北京市门头沟区斋堂社区卫生服务中心门诊长期就诊老年患者264例,收集患者年龄、共病情况[疾病数量、查尔森共病指数(CCI)]、口服药、认知功能状态等资料。分别以中国老年人潜在不适当用药判断标准2017版(标准1)、美国Beers标准2019版(标准2)、联合使用中国老年人潜在不适当用药判断标准和美国Beers标准(标准3)确定PIM。将患者分为PIM组和非PIM组,调查不同标准PIM检出率,对比2组患者年龄、共病情况、认知功能状态等差异。应用SPSS 23.0软件包进行统计分析,分别应用χ2检验、独立样本t检验、非参数检验、Pearson相关分析、Spearman相关分析等对数据进行统计分析。结果共入选患者264例,年龄(71.7±5.9)岁。标准1、标准2、标准3 PIM检出率逐渐增高,分别为28.4%、39.0%、50.8%。以标准3确定的PIM分组与男性(OR=1.941,95%CI 1.110~3.394,P=0.020)、CCI(OR=1.470,95%CI 1.115~1.939,P=0.006)、口服药种类(OR=1.241,95%CI 1.056~1.459,P=0.009)、认知功能障碍(OR=3.686,95%CI 1.448~9.382,P=0.006)等相关,而与年龄无相关性。结论乡镇门诊老年人PIM高发,联合使用中国和美国PIM标准可以提高PIM检出率,PIM与口服药种类、自身疾病严重程度和认知功能障碍相关。医师应联合使用中外PIM标准加强对存在共病、认知功能障碍老人的合理用药筛查,减少乡镇门诊老年人潜在不适当用药。     

The level of knowledge about leprosy among university students

A survey about leprosy was made in 1,000 students from the University of Guadalajara (Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico). There were considered clinical, preventive, social and etiological aspects. The results showed that the patient suffering leprosy is currently marginated. We suggest that this study should be carried out in other universities of Mexico, with purposes to verify the stigmata of this entity.     

Venom allergy and knowledge about anaphylaxis among beekeepers and their families

BackgroundBeekeepers and their families are at an increased risk of life-threatening anaphylaxis due to recurrent bee-sting exposures.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to evaluate the demographic features, previous history of anaphylaxis among beekeepers and their family members, and their knowledge about the symptoms and management of anaphylaxis.MethodsA standardized questionnaire was administered to beekeepers during the 6th International Beekeeping and Pine Honey Congress held in 2018, in Mugla, Turkey. Additionally, food-service staff from restaurants were surveyed as an occupational control group about their knowledge about anaphylaxis.ResultsSixty-nine beekeepers (82.6% male, mean age 48.4 ± 12.0 years) and 52 restaurant staff (46.2% male, mean age 40.5 ± 10.0 years) completed the questionnaire. Awareness of the terms ‘anaphylaxis’ and ‘epinephrine auto-injector’ among the beekeepers were 55.1% and 30.4% and among the restaurant staff were 23.1% and 3.8%, respectively. Of the beekeepers, 74% were able to identify the potential symptoms of anaphylaxis among the given choices; 2.9% and 5.8% reported anaphylaxis related to bee-stings in themselves and in their family members, respectively. None of the restaurant staff had experienced or encountered anaphylaxis before but 3.8% of their family members had anaphylaxis and those reactions were induced by drugs.ConclusionIt is essential that implementation of focused training programs about anaphylaxis symptoms and signs as well as practical instructions of when and how to use an epinephrine auto-injector will decrease preventable morbidities and mortalities due to bee-stings in this selected high-risk population of beekeepers and their family members, as well as other fieldworkers under risk.     

Hospitalization and death associated with potentially inappropriate medication prescriptions among elderly nursing home residents

BACKGROUND: This study examines the association of potentially inappropriate medication prescribing (PIRx) with hospitalization and death among elderly long-stay nursing home residents. METHODS: We defined PIRx using the combined version of the Beers criteria. Data were from the 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Nursing Home Component. The study sample included 3372 residents, 65 years and older, who had nursing home stays of 3 consecutive months or longer in 1996. We performed multivariate logistic regression analyses of longitudinal data using generalized estimating equations. RESULTS: Residents who received any PIRx had greater odds (odds ratio [OR], 1.27; P = .002) of being hospitalized in the following month than those receiving no PIRx. Residents with PIRx exposure for 2 consecutive months were at increased risk (OR, 1.27; P = .004) of hospitalization, as were those receiving PIRx in the second month only (OR, 1.80; P = .001), compared with those receiving no PIRx. Residents who received PIRx were at greater risk of death (OR, 1.28; P = .01) that month or the next. Residents with intermittent PIRx exposures were at greater odds of death (OR, 1.89; P<.001), compared with those with no PIRx exposure. CONCLUSIONS: The association of PIRx with subsequent adverse outcomes (hospitalization and death) provides new evidence of the importance of improving prescribing practices in the nursing home setting.     

Assessment of knowledge of AIDS and beliefs about AIDS prevention among adolescents

This report describes the development of measures of AIDS knowledge and beliefs about AIDS prevention for adolescents. Review of the literature, focus groups, pilot testing, and reviews by advisory councils assured that the process of developing the measures contributed to their validity. These measures were administered to three samples of adolescents at high risk for contracting AIDS: 43 runaway males, 43 runaway females, and 36 self-identified gay males. Both the knowledge and the beliefs instruments showed moderately high internal consistency and test-retest reliability and successfully avoided ceiling effects. Gay males demonstrated significantly greater knowledge of AIDS; however, there were few differences in beliefs among the groups. Knowledge of AIDS was significantly correlated with beliefs about AIDS prevention. The results suggest that these measures identify gaps in knowledge and beliefs among high-risk youth.     

Teach back and pictorial image educational strategies on knowledge about diabetes and medication/dietary adherence among low health literate patients with type 2 diabetes

AimsTo explore the impact of pictorial image and teach back educational strategies on knowledge, adherence to medication and diet among patients with type 2 diabetes and low health literacy in Saqqez, Iran.MethodsIn this randomized controlled trial, 127 patients with type 2 diabetes who had low health literacy were randomly allocated into three arms of the study (pictorial image, teach back, and control groups). The two intervention groups received education within three weekly sessions, each lasting 20 min. The level of functional health literacy in adults (TOFHLA), diabetes knowledge, and adherence to medication and diet were measured and compared in the three groups before and six weeks after the interventions. We used intention to treat analysis. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and Paired t test.ResultsMean scores of knowledge, adherence to medication and diet revealed significant differences between two intervention groups and control group (P < 0/001) six weeks after intervention.ConclusionsBoth educational strategies increased knowledge, as well as adherence to medications and diet among patients with type 2 diabetes and low health literacy. Both educational strategies seem to be effective for patients with low health literacy and are recommended to be used according to patients’ conditions.