[Medication literacy in older patients : skills needed for self-management of medications]

For a patient, the daily preparation and self-administration of medication require a wide range of cognitive and social skills : these skills fall under the concept of medication literacy. Individuals with insufficient skills have difficulties to understand instructions from professionals, to communicate their concerns and are at greater risk of inappropriate use of their medications. In this new area of research, standardised instruments have been developed but their conceptual basis lacks consensus and none have been designed for older patients and their specificities. This article proposes some benchmarks so that physicians, pharmacists and nurses can better understand this concept and identify patients with difficulties.