Medication Sharing Among Older Adults in South Korea: A Qualitative Study

Medication sharing has been reported in many countries, with prevalence rates of 6-42% for lending and 5-54% for borrowing. This can cause serious harm, particularly in older adults. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate older adults' perceptions and experiences of medication sharing.

For this qualitative study, semi-structured interview study, data were collected in person from older adults aged 65-90 years, who were recruited using snowball sampling. The study was conducted between May and November 2020. Descriptive analysis was conducted to summarize participants' demographic characteristics. The interview responses were analyzed using content analysis with deductive and inductive methods.

A total of 20 participants were included in the study. Among them, 18 participants (90%) reported medication-sharing experiences with prescription or over-the-counter medications, and 16 (80%) reported sharing medications with family or relatives. The shared medications ranged from oral tablets for chronic disease management to topical patches for acute pain. The participants primarily described the following reasons for medication sharing: lenders having unused (leftover) medications available, borrowers' financial difficulties, and lenders having drug coverage provided through their health insurance. Eleven participants (55%) identified leftover medications as one of the reasons for medication sharing, and five participants (25%) identified financial difficulties. The lenders reported that the medication-sharing behavior negatively affected their medication therapy adherence.

In this study's sample, most older adults (90%) reported engaging in medication sharing within close relationships, which was described as a socially situated practice with implications for medication management. Addressing this behavior may require privacy-assured, non-judgmental communication strategies that are culturally tailored. Future quantitative or mixed-methods studies are needed to better understand the behavior and inform the development of effective interventions.