Satisfaction and Knowledge of Elderly Patients Towards Their Multiple Medications Usage

Abstract

Multiple drug use is considered to be hazardous generally and in specific for the elderly because of their greater vulnerability to complications. The aim of this study is to determine the satisfaction and knowledge of elderly patients in Bahrain towards their multiple medications usage and to discover the prevalence of inappropriate polypharmacy among elderly patients in Bahrain. In a cross-sectional study, 100 participants age more than 55 years were interviewed to determine the prevalence of polypharmacy. The participants were randomly selected and asked to answer a questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of questions regarding drugs taken, pattern of using each drug and patients’ personal, social and medical history in addition to their satisfaction with their treatment regimen. The data collected were analyzed using Microsoft Excel. Participants were found to consume an average of 8.14 ± 1.22 of drugs and the average number of tablets / capsules were 9.88 ± 1.21. The most commonly used drugs were aspirin, atorvastatin, metformin, and beta-blockers. Those were prescribed by physicians in 82 % of cases. Participants using herbal products / nutritional supplements were found to be 34%. The desire of participants to reduce the number of their medications was found to be high (83%) as many believed that at least one of them is causing side effects. Polypharmacy is common among elderly population in Bahrain and is affected by age, education level and medical factors. Different measures need to be implemented to minimize this problem to ensure better health for the elderly population.