Issue Briefs
Date of this Version
10-2008
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.
Document Type
Brief
Volume
14
Number
1
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
View On LDI Website
http://ldi.upenn.edu/policy/issue-briefs/2008/10/20/untitled-159
Date Posted: 09 December 2016