Effects of self medication programme on knowledge of drugs and compliance with treatment in elderly patients

Objective: To determine whether a programme of self medication for inpatients improves compliance with treatment and knowledge of their drugs after discharge from hospital. Design: Patients were prospectively recruited from four wards: two with a self medication programme and two acting as controls. Ten days after discharge the patients were visited at home. They were questioned about their drugs, and a tablet count was undertaken. Setting: The pharmacy department and four medical wards with an interest in elderly patients at a district general hospital, and the patients9 homes. Patients: 88 patients discharged to their own homes who were regularly taking one or more drugs. Intervention: A hospital self medication programme in which patients are educated about their medicines and given increasing responsibility for taking them in hospital. Main outcome measure: Compliance with and knowledge of the purpose of their medicines 10 days after discharge from hospital. Results: The mean compliance score in patients taking part in the self medication programme was 95% compared with 83% in the control group (difference 12%, 95% confidence interval 4% to 21%; P Conclusion: A self medication programme is an effective aid for improving compliance with and knowledge of patients9 drugs after discharge. Key messages Key messages It results in significantly higher levels of compliance after discharge A small but significant increase in resources is required Most (95%) patients preferred self medication to administration of medicines by nurses in hospital