Exploring the reasons for self-administration medication errors among illiterate and low-literate community-dwelling older adults with polypharmacy: a qualitative study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Polypharmacy and low literacy increase medication self-administration errors (MSEs) among older adults, adversely affecting both patients and healthcare systems through increased costs and reduced treatment efficacy.

Objectives

This study explored the reasons for MSEs among illiterate and low-literate older adults with polypharmacy from the perspective of older adults, informal family caregivers, physicians, and pharmacists.

Method

The qualitative study used a conventional content analysis approach from September 2022 to April 2023. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit participants for interviews.

Results

The study included fifteen older adults, five caregivers, four physicians, and seven pharmacists. Seven main categories were extracted: 1) Age-r

SUBMITTER: Ghassab-Abdollahi N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11658105 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature