Adams Richard, May Helen, Swift Louise, Bhattacharya Debi
School of Pharmacy, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, UK.
Age Ageing. 2013 Nov;42(6):715-20. doi: 10.1093/ageing/aft113. Epub 2013 Aug 26.
multi-compartment medication devices (MMDs) are widely used, primarily by older people, to aid correct-medication taking. Several MMD types are available yet little is known about the ease with which patients with varying functional ability use these devices and whether some types are easier than others. Such knowledge would assist healthcare practitioners in advising patients on a suitable choice of device.
this study investigates the ease with which patients with differing functional ability use three types of MMD.
participants were recruited from an older person's medical ward. Demographic and medication information, cognitive function, visual acuity and manual dexterity were recorded. The Venalink®, Nomad Clear® and Dosett® MMDs were tested. Participants rated each MMD according to text readability, ease of opening, ease of medication removal, transportability and overall rating. These ratings were compared between MMDs for all patients and for subgroups with differing functional abilities.
the MMDs were trialled by 50 patients; the majority rated text readability well but rated MMDs poorly according to the other criteria. Cognitively impaired participants may encounter difficulties in opening and removing medication from Venalink® and Nomad®. The Dosett® consistently rated better across all criteria. Transportability was the most influential criterion for overall MMD usability.
the poor patient rating of MMDs which are widely used in practice is of concern. Some MMDs may be difficult to open and access, especially for patients with cognitive impairment. This offers some guidance to health professionals in advising patients on MMD choice however, overall MMD rating appears dominated by transportability.
多隔层给药装置（MMDs）被广泛使用，主要使用者为老年人，以帮助正确服药。有多种类型的MMDs，但对于不同功能能力的患者使用这些装置的难易程度以及某些类型是否比其他类型更易于使用，人们了解甚少。此类知识将有助于医护人员为患者提供关于合适装置选择的建议。
本研究调查不同功能能力的患者使用三种类型MMDs的难易程度。
从老年病房招募参与者。记录人口统计学和用药信息、认知功能、视力和手部灵活性。对Venalink®、Nomad Clear®和Dosett® MMDs进行测试。参与者根据文本可读性、打开的难易程度、取出药物的难易程度、便携性和总体评分对每种MMD进行评分。比较所有患者以及不同功能能力亚组的MMD之间的这些评分。
50名患者试用了这些MMDs；大多数人对文本可读性评价良好，但根据其他标准对MMDs评价较差。认知受损的参与者在打开Venalink®和Nomad®并从中取出药物时可能会遇到困难。Dosett®在所有标准下的评分一直更好。便携性是MMD总体可用性的最有影响力的标准。
在实际中广泛使用的MMDs患者评分较低令人担忧。一些MMDs可能难以打开和取用，尤其是对于认知受损的患者。这为健康专业人员在为患者提供MMD选择建议时提供了一些指导，然而，MMD的总体评分似乎受便携性主导。
