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 patients' 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 MEASURES: 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 < 0.02). Of the patients in the self medication group, 90% (38/42) knew the purpose of their drugs compared with 46% (17/37) in the control group (difference 44%, 26% to 63%; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: A self medication programme is an effective aid for improving compliance with and knowledge of patients' drugs after discharge.