[Do patients understand their prescribed antibiotic treatments?]

To assess to what degree patients who had been prescribed an antibiotic understand the dose and duration of the prescription.

Descriptive, cross-sectional.

Primary care in Toledo.

People over 18 who attended 10 pharmacies in Toledo with an antibiotic prescription in April and May 2000.

The prescriptions were dispensed by a pharmacist in charge at each establishment. After receipt of the prescription, the patient was asked about the dose of the drug prescribed. This was then compared with the instructions on the drug.

155 women and 163 men made up the sample, with an average age of 46.42 (SD, 17.2). The most commonly prescribed antibiotics were: a) amoxycillin (24.2%), 2) amoxycillin-clavulanic acid (18.2%), and c) ciprofloxacin (10.6%). 63.2% of those interviewed remembered correctly the dosage prescribed without having to consult any kind of instruction, whereas 17.6% did need to consult instructions. 33% brought instructions written by the doctor. The average age of those who answered incorrectly was 52.8; and of those who answered correctly, 44.9 (p < 0.01). There were no significant differences between men and women.

There is an important number of patients, especially older ones, who have not received or have not understood the instructions received from their doctor.