How do older people experience their management of medicines?

Abstract

Understanding how older people experience their management of medicines and to reveal the components which may affect them in this situation is important to improve nursing care. To observe the life of an older person as a whole is important in nursing care, so that the person's behaviour can be understood, as how older people manage to handle their medicines may have an impact on their autonomy and on health-care resource use.

Experiences of counselling in the emergency department during the waiting period: importance of family participation

“…In this study, older patients needed more counselling on medication. Westerbotn et al (2008) obtained similar results in their study of older people's experiences of medication management.…”

Experiences of family members of elderly patients in the emergency department: A qualitative study

“…Family members were involved in the lives and care of elderly patients at home, and it was therefore important to know, for example, medication changes prescribed by the ED doctor. According to Paavilainen et al (2009) and Westerbotn et al (2008), elderly patients' family members would need more medication counseling. The work culture of the ED should be developed, so that family members are automatically informed of the patient's situation and considered in situations when they cannot be with the patient.…”

Medication-Related Problems Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults After Recent Hospital Discharge in Mainland China

“…Medication is an important part in daily life among older patients (Westerbotn et al, 2008). Unfortunately, some older patients are unable to accurately follow their doctor's instructions after hospital discharge.…”

“…Taking medications is an important part of medical care for older adults (Westerbotn, Fahlström, Fastbom, Agüero-Torres, & Hillerås, 2008). However, it is also well established that many older adults are not able to manage their medications well at home (Granås & Bates, 2005;Tordoff, Bagge, Gray, Campbell, & Norris, 2010).…”

“…Some patients have been found to hoard unused medications and took fewer than prescribed doses of their medications (Granås & Bates, 2005;Tordoff, Simonsen, Thomson, & Norris, 2010). Forgetting, reducing the doses, and stopping taking medications have also been reported in the literature (Granås & Bates, 2005;Roth & Ivey, 2005;Westerbotn et al, 2008). Of the Chinese older adults with a chronic disease, 80% took medications for more than 9 months; however, less than 30% correctly managed their medications (Wuhan Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, 2011).…”