Nursing Department, the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China.
The School of Nursing, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China.
BMC Geriatr. 2023 Apr 28;23(1):256. doi: 10.1186/s12877-023-03966-3.
Older adults with chronic diseases require long-term medication. However, due to lack of drug knowledge and hypomnesia, older adults with chronic diseases are prone to adverse drug events and increased medical costs. This study aimed to explore the status and influencing factors of home-based medication safety among community-dwelling older adults with chronic diseases in China to provide a basis for follow-up to conduct targeted health education.
Overall, 427 community-dwelling older adults with chronic diseases participated in this study. The Knowledge, Attitude, and Behaviour of Medication Safety among Older Adults with Chronic Diseases Questionnaire was used to assess their home-based medication safety. Multivariate linear regression was used to identify the factors influencing knowledge, attitude, and behaviour regarding medication safety.
The average score of home-based medication safety among older adults with chronic diseases was 68.26 ± 8.96, indicating that they had a moderate grasp of medication safety. The scoring rate of each subscale was ranked from high to low as follows: behaviour (84.51%), knowledge (63.33%), and attitude (47.39%). Stepwise linear regression analysis showed that medication safety knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours were significantly associated with higher monthly income, adverse drug events, and taking medicine several times a day (p < 0.05). Additional influencing factors included having fewer chronic diseases, being female, higher educational attainment, taking medicines multiple kinds a day, better self-care ability, and non-hospitalisation for chronic illnesses (p < 0.05).
Medical staff and community workers should pay attention to the drug safety of older adults with different characteristics and mobilise their enthusiasm for participation to improve their medication self-management ability.
Chinese Clinical Trial Register: ChiCTR2200060987 ; reg. date: 15/06/2022.
患有慢性病的老年人需要长期服药。然而，由于缺乏药物知识和记忆力减退，患有慢性病的老年人容易发生药物不良事件和增加医疗费用。本研究旨在探讨中国社区慢性病老年人家庭用药安全状况及其影响因素，为后续开展有针对性的健康教育提供依据。
本研究共纳入 427 名社区慢性病老年人。采用慢性病老年人用药安全知信行问卷评估其家庭用药安全。采用多元线性回归分析影响用药安全知识、态度和行为的因素。
慢性病老年人家庭用药安全平均得分为 68.26±8.96，表明其对用药安全有一定的掌握。各子量表的得分率从高到低依次为行为（84.51%）、知识（63.33%）和态度（47.39%）。逐步线性回归分析显示，用药安全知识、态度和行为与较高的月收入、药物不良反应和每日服药次数有关（p<0.05）。其他影响因素包括慢性疾病较少、女性、较高的教育程度、每日服药多种、自我护理能力较好和慢性病未住院（p<0.05）。
医护人员和社区工作者应关注不同特征老年人的用药安全，调动其参与积极性，提高其用药自我管理能力。
中国临床试验注册中心：ChiCTR2200060987；注册日期：2022 年 6 月 15 日。
