Medication Awareness among Geriatric Patients with Selected Chronic Diseases: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Geriatric patients are more likely to have chronic diseases that necessitate pharmacotherapy, including multiple medications. Lack of awareness of medications and reduced compliance are not unusual among patients who use multiple medications. Objectives: To assess medication awareness and association with sociodemographic factors among geriatric patients with selected chronic diseases in Teaching Hospital, Karapitiya Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among medical clinic attendees who were in the age of 65 years or above, and on treatment for diagnosed chronic diseases for more than six months. A total of 308 patients were selected. An interviewer-administered questionnaire validated by two healthcare experts was utilized to collect data. The patient awareness on the drug names, doses, frequencies, and indications were assessed for each patient and every correct answer was given +1 and incorrect answer or a do not know response was given 0 marks. The total scores obtained by each patient for each category were added and converted in to percentages. A percentage score 50% or less was considered as an inadequate level of awareness. Results: Evaluation of the overall awareness about the current medication regimen of the geriatric patients found that 89.3% (n=275) of patients were inadequately aware. The majority of older adults (92%) were not adequately aware of indications of drugs. Awareness of medications significantly (p=0.033) varied with educational level, marital status and employment status. However, medication awareness was not influenced by gender or social habits in this study sample. The awareness of medication decreased with increasing number of drugs used (p<0.05) by the participants. Conclusions: The majority of geriatric patients do not have adequate awareness of their medication. It varied with educational level, marital status, employment status and number of drugs used. Educating patients and caregivers regarding their medications and increasing social support will be beneficial for geriatric patients to improve medication use. Keywords: Awareness on medications, Chronic diseases, Geriatric patients, Sri Lanka 63