Pilot study--an investigation of the sources and satisfaction of medication information provided to the elderly

Studies have shown that consumers, in general, do not know everything they should know or would like to know about the medicines they are taking. In addition, several studies report that many older individuals are reluctant to ask questions about the medicines they are taking. This pilot study was conducted to assess the sources from which the elderly obtain their information about prescription and non-prescription medicines and their level of satisfaction with each source. The study results reveal that over half of those surveyed indicated that they received no information about prescription or non-prescription medicines. Further, a large percentage of those surveyed stated that they would like to receive information about non-prescription medicines from a health provider. The findings suggest that pharmacists should routinely provide information to the elderly about all aspects of their medication treatment.