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Brown Bag Medication Review: Using AHRQ's Brown Bag Medication Tool
Eileen Murtha1, Betty Elder, Mary Faragher
1School of Nursing, Wichita State University, Kansas.
Background:
Medication nonadherence has been linked to health literacy and poor patient outcomes. The Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit addresses both issues.
Purpose:
A brown bag medication review was implemented to identify medication nonadherence in a Midwestern clinic.
Methods:
Adult patients were instructed to bring all prescribed and over-the-counter medication to office visits. A reviewer transcribed administration directions and the patient's verbal instruction of how the medication is taken.
Results:
The study found 58% (n = 28) of 48 participants were nonadherent for at least 1 medication; 26% (n = 72) of all medications were nonadherent; and mental health drugs were the highest nonadherence category at 38% (n = 11). The majority of medication nonadherence was due to lack of access.
Conclusions:
This drug utilization review was found helpful in identification of causes for medication nonadherence, assisting prescribers, and improving patient education.