Medication Understanding and Health Literacy among Patients with Multiple Chronic Conditions: A Study Conducted in Bangladesh

Rahman, Farjana; Aziz, Farina; Huque, Sumaiya; Ether, Sadia Afruz

doi:10.4081/jphr.2020.1792

Cited by 13 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…With respect to the effects of age on OTC drug label misunderstanding, this study demonstrated that misunderstanding was not influenced by age, but a previous study has indicated that misconceptions and confusion about using OTC analgesics are common among adolescents aged 14–20 years old [ 33 ]. Moreover, older adults appear to have more knowledge of and experience with using OTC drugs, but are prone to adverse drug reactions due to existing chronic health conditions and poly-pharmacy [ 34 , 35 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health Literacy Level and Comprehension of Prescription and Nonprescription Drug Information

Kim

Suh

Barone

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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The aim of this study was to investigate the level of misunderstanding of medication information in Korean adults after stratifying by level of health literacy and to identify the factors influencing the misunderstanding of medication information and reading amounts of information on OTC drug labels. A cross-sectional survey was performed with 375 adult participants using the survey instrument. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to identify factors which influence misunderstanding of medication information. Participants misunderstood 20% of words on OTC drug labels, 9% of prescription drug instructions, and 9% of pictograms. Participants on average read 59% of the overall contents of the OTC drug labels. As prescription drugs’ dosing regimens became more complicated, the level of misunderstanding instructions increased. The level of misunderstanding words on OTC drug labels significantly decreased as participants had adequate health literacy (β = −18.11, p < 0.001) and higher education levels (β = −6.83, p < 0.001), after adjusting for the study variables. The level of misunderstanding instructions for prescription drugs increased as participants became older (β = 8.81, p < 0.001) and had lower education levels (β = −5.05, p < 0.001), after adjusting for the study variables. The level of misunderstanding pictograms was similar to that of misunderstanding instructions for prescription drug labels. The amount of reading information on OTC drug labels significantly increased as respondents had adequate health literacy (β = 9.27, p < 0.001), were older (β = 12.49, p < 0.001), or had chronic diseases (β = 7.49, p = 0.007). Individuals’ health literacy level, reading behaviors, and complexity of medication instructions are associated with misunderstanding of medication information. Appropriate word choices in drug labels and an improved format of medication instructions could increase understanding of medication information and prevent adverse drug reactions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health Literacy Level and Comprehension of Prescription and Nonprescription Drug Information

Kim

Suh

Barone

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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“…A study by Frank J. et al, also showed similar results with participants being more knowledgeable on administration schedule and dose but having less knowledge on indication of the medicine and adverse effects [ 9 ]. In a study done in Bangladesh, only 12% of participants identified the medicines by their generic names but the dosage regimen and the administration details was known by 90% of participants [ 13 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patients’ knowledge about medicines improves when provided with written compared to verbal information in their native language

Rameshkumar

Haputhanthrige²,

Misbahunnisa³

et al. 2022

PLoS ONE

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Background Patient’s knowledge on the medicines prescribed is vital in reducing medication errors and improving adherence and patient satisfaction. This study assessed the patients’ knowledge on medicines prescribed and compared improvement following verbal or written information given in patients own language. Methods Seventy-five trainee pharmacists randomised to verbal or written groups, provided information to consecutive consenting patients attending medical and surgical clinics in the outpatient department of National Hospital of Sri Lanka. Baseline knowledge and immediate recall knowledge was scored on 5 categories (name, indication, dose, frequency of administration, and additional relevant details) for each drug prescribed. Scores <5/10, 5-7/10 and > 7/10 were considered as poor, moderate, and good knowledge. Sample of 384 in each group had 80% power to detect a 10% difference in knowledge level. Data was analysed using SPSS v26. Results Of the 747 patients, 429(57%) were females, mean age was 54.3 years(SD±12), 450(60%) were on 5 or more drugs and 149(20%) were elderly (>65 years). At baseline, knowledge scores were comparable in both groups with 47% (352/747) patients having poor knowledge, 34% (254/747) moderate knowledge and only 19% (141/747) good knowledge. Patients knew the name only on 1653(42%) drugs prescribed, indication on 1603(41%), dose on 860(22%), administration details on 2255(58%) and additional details (adverse effects/storage) only on 267(7%) medicines prescribed. After the intervention, 276(74%) patients had good knowledge (score>7), in written group vs 217(58%) in verbal group (p<0.05). In all 5 aspects knowledge improved significantly more in written group compared to the verbal group. Binomial logistic regression analysis indicated that ordinary level (OR:2.32), advanced level(OR:2.13) and university education(OR:3.72), and lower number of medicines prescribed(OR:0.83) significantly increased the odds of having a “Good Knowledge on Medicines”. Conclusion Patient’s knowledge on medicines prescribed was poor and providing the medication plan in writing in patients’ own language would improve the knowledge significantly compared to providing verbal information.

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“…Patients with polypharmacy were 93% less likely to report a drug's purpose correctly. Negative health outcomes, particularly in older adults, have been associated with polypharmacy 14 , and knowledge of the purpose of all medications was inversely associated with this phenomenon 15 . Polypharmacy was also linked to non-adherence, and this association may be explained by the fact that patients who are unaware of a drug's purpose may be less likely to use it.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Older people’s knowledge of the purpose of drugs prescribed at primary care appointments

Gama

Passos

Amorim

et al. 2021

Rev. Assoc. Med. Bras.

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OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess older people's knowledge of the purpose of drugs prescribed at medical appointments in primary care units and the possible factors related to their level of knowledge about their medications. METHODS:This was a cross-sectional study conducted in 22 basic health units in Brazil. Patients aged ≥60 years were included in this study (n=674). Knowledge of prescribed medications was assessed by comparing the responses to the questionnaire and the medication and prescription information. Multivariate analyses were conducted using the Poisson regression with robust variance. RESULTS:The mean age of the sample was 70.1 (standard deviation: ±7.1) years. Among 674 patients, 272 (40.4%) did not know the indication of at least 1 of their prescribed drugs; among them, 78 (11.6%) did not know the indication of any of their prescribed drugs. In the final multivariate analysis, polypharmacy, illiteracy, and cognitive impairment were found to be associated with misunderstanding the purpose of at least one prescribed drug. Moreover, illiteracy and cognitive impairment were associated with a greater misunderstanding of the purpose of all prescribed drugs. CONCLUSIONS:In the studied sample, patients demonstrated a high rate of misunderstanding of the purpose of prescribed drugs. Therefore, it is necessary for health services and professionals to implement strategies that increase the quality of the guidance and instructions given to older people in order to promote adherence to treatment.

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Medication Understanding and Health Literacy among Patients with Multiple Chronic Conditions: A Study Conducted in Bangladesh

Cited by 13 publications

References 30 publications

Health Literacy Level and Comprehension of Prescription and Nonprescription Drug Information

Health Literacy Level and Comprehension of Prescription and Nonprescription Drug Information

Patients’ knowledge about medicines improves when provided with written compared to verbal information in their native language

Older people’s knowledge of the purpose of drugs prescribed at primary care appointments

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