Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 8, 2025

Assessment of Dependence in Activities of Daily Living Among Older Patients in an Acute Care Unit
Published on: September 30, 2020
Beliefs about medication after hospital discharge in geriatric patients with polypharmacy
Laura Mortelmans1, Eva Goossens2, Tinne Dilles1
1Department of Nursing and Midwifery Science, Centre For Research and Innovation in Care (CRIC), Nurse and Pharmaceutical Care (NuPhaC), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium.
Objectives:
To describe beliefs about medication in geriatric patients with polypharmacy post-discharge and to evaluate the impact of discharge management on patients' medication beliefs.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted between November 2019 and March 2020 in twelve general hospitals in Belgium. Four hundred geriatric patients with polypharmacy were surveyed at hospital discharge and two to five days post-discharge using the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire and self-developed questionnaires.
Results:
According to participants, the benefits of medication outweighed the disadvantages as the mean necessity score (19.4/25) outweighed the mean concern score (11.9/25). Patients receiving help with medication management post-discharge had stronger necessity-, concern- and overuse-related beliefs. No patient- or discharge management-related factors were significant predictors of medication beliefs.
Conclusions:
Assessing patients' medication beliefs and identifying and addressing patients' concerns, can be an opportunity to improve medication use, to prevent non-adherence and to enhance safe medication practices at home.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Excretion
Drug Therapy
Antianxiety Medications
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Absorption
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Distribution
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Metabolism

