ISMP Safe Medicine May/June 2009, Volume 7, Number 5. ©2009 ISMP

Brand name medicines appear in green; generic medicines appear in red.

Patients discharged from the hospital have poor understanding of newly prescribed medicines

A new study at the Mayo Clinic in Florida found that many hospitalized patients know little about new medicines they need to take after going home.1 The study involved 100 patients discharged from the hospital with new medicines. Most patients had just one or two newly prescribed medicines. About 1-2 weeks after going home, the patients were questioned about their new medicines. The exact questions are listed in Table 1 (on page 2 of the newsletter). The researchers found that:    

• Almost 15% of the patients did not know their doctor had prescribed a new medicine for them to take after discharge
• One-third of the patients could not name their new medicines
• More than one-third of the patients did not know important information about the new medicines, including the dose, how often to take it, and why they had to take it
• Only 22% of the patients could name a bad side effect of the new medicine, and even less recalled being told about side effects before leaving the hospital
• Almost one-third of the patients did not know whom to call if they had a question about their new medicine.

Older patients knew less about their new medicines than younger patients. More educated patients knew just as little about their new medicines as less educated patients, and better reading skills did not ensure understanding of medicine directions. These findings suggest that doctors, nurses, and pharmacists are not providing enough education about medicines in understandable terms and under conditions that promote learning.  

Not knowing enough about your medicines can lead to serious mistakes. Please see the suggestions under Check it out! in the newsletter to make sure you know enough about the medicines you need to take after leaving the hospital.

Reference:  1) Maniaci MJ, Heckman MG, Dawson NL. Functional health literacy and understanding of medications at discharge. Mayo Clinic Proceedings 2008;83.