Patients are often unaware of which medications they’re taking while in the hospital, according to a pilot study published online in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
Fifty cognitively aware adults (mean age, 54) admitted to a teaching hospital compiled lists of the medications they believed they were prescribed during their admission. Their lists were then compared with the inpatient medication records. Among the findings:
- Nearly all patients left at least one prescribed medication off their list (average number of medications omitted, 7).
- The most commonly omitted medications included analgesics, gastrointestinal drugs, antibiotics, and cardiovascular drugs.
- Almost half of patients thought they were receiving a medication they were not prescribed.
The researchers write: “These results are a call to reexamine how we educate and involve patients regarding hospital medications,” with the potential benefits of patients catching medication errors and having greater satisfaction with their care.
[Editor’s note: This study has been released from embargo but has not yet been posted. Our link is to the Journal of Hospital Medicine‘s early-release page, where the article will appear shortly.]
