Perceived versus actual medication regimens among internal medicine patients

Exchange of accurate information between patients and medical providers is imperative for appropriate medication prescribing. We performed an evaluation of medication regimens of patients with information obtained independently from patient-completed surveys and nursing and provider interviews. The actual medication regimen was determined after the clinic encounter via mail-in forms or telephone interviews with patients reporting current medications directly from prescription bottles. Two hundred thirteen patients taking an average of 3.8 prescription medications were enrolled. Patients, nurses, and primary care providers were modestly accurate in reporting the number of medications being taken (kappa, 0.57,0.51, and 0.58, respectively); however, they performed poorly in reporting complete medication regimens as defined by the correct names, doses, and frequencies with 100% accuracy (34%, 26.7%, and 29.3%, respectively). Patients who created their own lists were more accurate than those who relied on memory, lists provided by providers, or discharge summaries. These findings indicate a significant difference between intended versus actual medication regimens at home.