SNDT WOMEN'S UNIVERSITY
BMK Knowledge Resource Centre
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Santacruz (West) Mumbai - 400049
How well do patients understand medication information written in prescriptions? A study from Eastern India
Debaleena Das
How well do patients understand medication information written in prescriptions? A study from Eastern India - p 83-89,
INTRODUCTION:
Appropriate understanding of medicine-related advice in a prescription by patients ensures therapeutic compliance and mitigates avoidable medication intake-related errors.
AIMS:
This study assessed how well patients or their caregivers attending a tertiary care hospital have understood medicine-related information in their outpatient department (OPD) prescription.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
This prospective questionnaire-based observational study was conducted on patients attending outpatient clinics of four departments of a tertiary care hospital. The questionnaire had both open and close-ended questions, which assessed understanding of written information related to the prescribed medicines.
RESULTS:
A total of 380 patients were enrolled in the study. 59.21% (95% CI 54.2–64.04) respondents had an excellent or good understanding of drug dosage. Similarly, 40% (95% CI 35.2–45) about drug frequency and 59.77% (95% CI 54.66–64.7) had excellent understanding of drug duration. However, overall composite understanding of prescriptions was poor in 36.84% (95% CI 32.14–41.8) of study participants. Patients with a higher level of education or from higher socioeconomic groups had a better understanding compared to other educational and socioeconomic categories. Suggestions for better patient understanding included prescriptions in vernacular language and pictorial representations.
CONCLUSIONS:
The study conducted in a tertiary care public hospital in India, reveals suboptimal understanding of medication-related information in OPD prescriptions. Based on the study outcome, measures have been taken to address the issue. Furthermore, there is a need for designing tailored interventions based on the patient profile attending a healthcare facility to facilitate better understanding.
Comprehension
India
medicines
obervational study
prescription
understanding
How well do patients understand medication information written in prescriptions? A study from Eastern India - p 83-89,
INTRODUCTION:
Appropriate understanding of medicine-related advice in a prescription by patients ensures therapeutic compliance and mitigates avoidable medication intake-related errors.
AIMS:
This study assessed how well patients or their caregivers attending a tertiary care hospital have understood medicine-related information in their outpatient department (OPD) prescription.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
This prospective questionnaire-based observational study was conducted on patients attending outpatient clinics of four departments of a tertiary care hospital. The questionnaire had both open and close-ended questions, which assessed understanding of written information related to the prescribed medicines.
RESULTS:
A total of 380 patients were enrolled in the study. 59.21% (95% CI 54.2–64.04) respondents had an excellent or good understanding of drug dosage. Similarly, 40% (95% CI 35.2–45) about drug frequency and 59.77% (95% CI 54.66–64.7) had excellent understanding of drug duration. However, overall composite understanding of prescriptions was poor in 36.84% (95% CI 32.14–41.8) of study participants. Patients with a higher level of education or from higher socioeconomic groups had a better understanding compared to other educational and socioeconomic categories. Suggestions for better patient understanding included prescriptions in vernacular language and pictorial representations.
CONCLUSIONS:
The study conducted in a tertiary care public hospital in India, reveals suboptimal understanding of medication-related information in OPD prescriptions. Based on the study outcome, measures have been taken to address the issue. Furthermore, there is a need for designing tailored interventions based on the patient profile attending a healthcare facility to facilitate better understanding.
Comprehension
India
medicines
obervational study
prescription
understanding