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Published on: January 5, 2018
Prospective and retrospective memory are differentially related to self-rated omission and commission errors in
Andreas Ihle1,2,3, Jennifer Inauen4,5,6,7, Urte Scholz4,5,6
1a Department of Psychology , University of Geneva , Geneva , Switzerland.
Abstract:
We investigated the relations of self-rated omission errors (i.e., forgetting to take one's medication) and commission errors (i.e., unnecessary repetitions of medication intake because of forgetting that it has already been taken) in medication adherence in multimorbidity to prospective and retrospective memory performance. Moreover, we examined whether these relations were moderated by the number of medications that had to be taken. Eighty-four patients with multimorbidity (aged 28-84 years, M = 62.4) reported medication adherence regarding the last seven days and the number of medications they had to take. In addition, we administered psychometric tests on prospective memory (PM) and retrospective memory performance. We found that reported omission errors in medication adherence were related significantly to lower PM performance. This relationship was increased in individuals with a lower number of medications. In comparison, reported commission errors in medication adherence were related significantly to lower retrospective memory performance. This relationship was increased in individuals with a larger number of medications. Present data suggest that omission errors in medication adherence in multimorbidity may reflect primarily PM errors, particularly if few medications have to be taken, while commission errors may reflect mainly retrospective memory failures, especially with a large number of medications that need to be taken as prescribed. From an applied neuropsychological perspective, these results underline the importance of trying to enhance PM and retrospective memory performance in patients with multimorbidity.
Insights
Forgetting medications in multimorbidity is linked to memory issues. Omission errors relate to prospective memory, while commission errors link to retrospective memory, impacting adherence strategies.
Area of Science:
- Neuropsychology
- Gerontology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Medication adherence is crucial for managing multimorbidity.
- Memory deficits can significantly impair medication adherence.
- Understanding specific memory types linked to adherence errors is vital.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between omission and commission medication errors and memory performance in patients with multimorbidity.
- To examine if the number of medications moderates these relationships.
Main Methods:
- Eighty-four patients with multimorbidity completed self-report measures of medication adherence and number of medications.
- Psychometric tests assessed prospective memory (PM) and retrospective memory performance.
- Statistical analyses examined correlations and moderation effects.
Main Results:
- Omission errors were associated with lower prospective memory performance, particularly with fewer medications.
- Commission errors were associated with lower retrospective memory performance, especially with more medications.
- These findings highlight distinct memory-related mechanisms for different adherence error types.
Conclusions:
- Omission errors in multimorbidity may stem from prospective memory failures, especially when managing fewer medications.
- Commission errors may result from retrospective memory deficits, particularly when managing a higher number of medications.
- Enhancing both prospective and retrospective memory is important for improving medication adherence in multimorbidity.
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