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Elders' nonadherence: its assessment and medication reminding by voice mail
V O Leirer1, D G Morrow, E D Tanke
1Decision System, Stanford, CA 94305.
The Gerontologist
|August 1, 1991
Summary
Memory issues significantly impact medication nonadherence in elders. Simple cognitive tests predict this, and interventions like barcode scanners and voice mail technology show promise in improving adherence rates.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Health Psychology
- Medical Informatics
Background:
- Medication nonadherence is a significant issue among the elderly population.
- Memory deficits and cognitive decline are frequently implicated in adherence challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the role of memory failure in medication nonadherence among elders.
- To assess if cognitive performance tests can predict nonadherence.
- To evaluate the utility of barcode scanner technology for monitoring adherence.
- To investigate the effectiveness of telephone voice mail interventions for improving adherence.
Main Methods:
- Assessed forgetting levels in elders.
- Correlated cognitive test scores with nonadherence rates.
- Utilized portable barcode scanners to monitor medication adherence.
- Implemented telephone voice mail reminders as an intervention.
Main Results:
- Elders exhibit considerable levels of forgetting medications.
- Higher cognitive test scores were associated with lower nonadherence.
- Portable barcode scanners proved effective for unobtrusive adherence monitoring.
- Voice mail technology significantly reduced both tardiness and complete forgetting of medication doses.
Conclusions:
- Memory failure is a key factor in elder medication nonadherence.
- Cognitive assessment can identify at-risk individuals.
- Barcode scanners offer a viable monitoring solution.
- Voice mail technology presents an accessible and effective intervention to improve medication adherence in older adults.