Evaluating patients' comprehensibility of a standardized medication plan

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Patient Safety
• Medication Management

Background:

• A standardized medication plan is now law in Germany to improve patient safety.
• Effective use of the medication plan depends on patient comprehension.
• This study assesses patient understanding of the standardized medication plan.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate patient comprehensibility of the standardized medication plan.
• To identify factors influencing patients' understanding of the medication plan.
• To assess the suitability of the Evaluation Tool to test the handling of the Medication Plan (ET-MP).

Main Methods:

• Developed and validated the "Evaluation Tool to test the handling of the Medication Plan" (ET-MP).
• Applied the ET-MP to 40 general internal medicine (GIM) patients and 50 chronic heart failure (CHF) patients.
• Set a comprehension cut-off score at 90% on the ET-MP.

Main Results:

• Overall mean ET-MP score was 82±21%, with GIM patients scoring 86±19% and CHF patients 78±23%.
• Only 43% of patients achieved a score above 90%.
• Lower education and higher age correlated with lower ET-MP scores (p<0.001). Cognitively impaired and advanced CHF patients also scored lower.

Conclusions:

• The ET-MP effectively assesses patient understanding of medication plans.
• Less than 50% of patients demonstrated adequate understanding (score >90%).
• Age and education level significantly impact comprehension, underscoring the need for continuous patient support beyond the medication plan itself.