Going to the emergency room can be stressful and scary for patients especially if they are over the age of 50.
It can be especially scary if patients don’t remember what medications they are taking.
Brown University researchers along with those from Brigham & Women’s Hospital, and Lifespan took a look at the problem. The researchers interviewed 168 patients aged 50 years or older about their medications. They then compared what patients told them about their medications to their electronic health and pharmacy records.
They found one in five patients could correctly recall their medications accurately. In addition, 77% of patients could not come up with the meds in their pharmacy record and another 79% were unable to list all medications in their electronic health record.
The study also pointed out 40% of patients told medical personnel they were taking medications they no longer were taken. In addition, 9% omitted medications, and 27% both omitted and added medications.
The most popular forgotten medications for patients were antibiotics, followed by urologic conditions, COPD and heart conditions.
The pharmacy press release said there is a chance for drug interactions to take place if medical personnel do not get the proper list of medications from their patients.
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