List Formats Improve Medication Instructions for Older Adults

Morrow, Daniel G.; Leirer, V. Von; Altieri, Patsy

doi:10.1080/0360127950210204

Cited by 33 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…All instructions were presented in paragraph form and printed in 12-point type. Although paragraphs are more difficult to understand than lists (Morrow, Leirer, & Altieri, 1995), the former format was chosen to heighten effects of grouping and order of information. Compatible instructions presented the 10 items grouped into the three schema categories (general information, how to take, possible outcomes) and in the preferred order identified by the order task in Experiment I.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

SPECIAL SECTION: Medication Instruction Design: Younger and Older Adult Schemas for Taking Medication

et al. 1996

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We examined whether older and younger adults share a schema for taking medication and whether instructions are better recalled when they are organized to match this schema. Experiment 1 examined age difference in schema organization. Participants sorted medication items (e.g., purpose, dose, possible side effects) according to similarity and then ordered the items to create a preferred instruction set. Cluster analysis of the sort and order data showed that younger and older adults share a schema for taking medication. Secondary regression analyses found that verbal ability (i.e., vocabulary scores) predicted individual differences in schema organization. In Experiment 2 participants recalled instructions that were either compatible with this schema in terms of grouping and order of items or were presented in nonpreferred orders. Younger participants remembered more information than did older participants, but both age groups better remembered and preferred the more schema-compatible instructions. Secondary analyses showed that recall was also positively related to verbal ability. Along with our earlier research, this study suggests that older and younger adults possess a schema for taking medication and that instructions that are compatible with this schema provide an environmental support that improves memory for medication information.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

SPECIAL SECTION: Medication Instruction Design: Younger and Older Adult Schemas for Taking Medication

et al. 1996

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“…Across a wide range of contexts, extraneous variables such as format and wording have been shown to impact processes such as comprehension and recall of information. For example, organizing medical instructions into a list format is linked to better understanding and memory for that information among general populations of older adults [12,13] and older patients with heart failure [14].…”

Section: Written Text and Working Memorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Working memory and the design of health materials: A cognitive factors perspective

Wilson

Wolf

2009

Patient Education and Counseling

166

102

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“…Studies investigating the effects of human-factored instructions report that they are preferred (Klein & Meininger, 2004; Morrow et al, 1988; Morrow, Leirer, & Altieri, 1995), more understandable (Eustace, Johnson, & Gault, 1982; Morrell, Park, & Poon, 1989), and easier to memorize (Morrow et al, 1991, 1996), compared to a standard. Researchers have also suggested that apart from financial, educational, and psychosocial measures, applying human factors may play a role in increasing patient adherence (e.g., Boyle & Chambers, 2000; McDonald, Garg, & Haynes, 2002; Morrow et al, 2004; Murray et al, 2004; Park & Jones, 1997).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%