Latent profile analysis of medication literacy among older adults with chronic comorbidities and Its relationship...

With the ever-increasing globalizing of aging, chronic comorbidity has become both common among the old population. The senile comorbidities pose as notable challenges of escalation of medication and medical expenditures, and loss in the quality of life of the mature patients. The increase in medication literacy would help reduce the land of unsafe drug administration, unfavorable feelings, and also improve the treatment rates among persons. But there is variation in the rate of medication literacy among the older adults living with varying comorbidities of chronic diseases. Thus, this paper utilizes latent profile analysis to segment medication literacy in this population group in an attempt to clarify the features that accompany medication Literacy among the older adults who with the presence of chronic comorbidities. Additionally, it discusses factors that contribute to medication literacy when using different types of chronic conditions, hence developing theoretical underpinnings to the upcoming individualized medication literacy interventions programs as per older adults patients with chronic comorbidities.

The study is a cross-sectional study of 611 hospitalized patients over the age of 60 years with chronic comorbidities through Grade III hospitals in Shizuishan City in the period between January, 2024 and March, 2024 using the convenience sampling method. The General Data Scale, the Medication Literacy Scale among the Elderly Patients with Chronic Diseases, the Self-perceived Burden Scale and the Technophobia Scale were used to collect information.

Latent profile analysis (LPA) disclosed that medication literacy of the older adults patients with chronic diseases could be classified into four different groups namely; high medication literacy (17.02%), medication Literacy-low critical type (38.13%), medication Literacy-high critical type (31.26%), and low medication Literacy (13.58%). Influential factor analysis showed that drinking history, educational level, marital status, occupational status, personal monthly income, family location, caregiver involvement, living style, type of medical insurance, daily exercise time, time duration of disease, number of hospitalizations in the past year, personal view of sleep status, age, and self-perceived burden, technophobia, had significant impact among the varied category of chronic disease patients in terms of medication literacy (p < 0.05).

Medication literacy among chronic comorbidity patients is largely heterogeneous. It is advised that clinicians should do more specific interventional programs based on the nature of different levels of medication literacy to achieve better medication literacy rates within this category of population to improve treatment effects.