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Medication compliance in the elderly

¹Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass 02115.

The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry

|January 1, 1995

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Drug noncompliance in older adults is a significant issue, affecting 40-75%. Common problems include overuse, forgetting doses, and altering schedules, leading to serious health consequences.

Area of Science:

Gerontology
Pharmacology
Public Health

Background:

Drug noncompliance poses serious risks for older patients.
Prevalence estimates for noncompliance in the elderly range from 40% to 75%.

Purpose of the Study:

To identify and describe common forms of drug noncompliance in the elderly.
To highlight the risks associated with medication nonadherence in geriatric populations.

Main Methods:

Review of existing data and estimates on drug noncompliance in older adults.
Categorization of noncompliant behaviors into overuse/abuse, forgetting, and schedule alteration.

Main Results:

Three primary noncompliance forms: overuse/abuse, forgetting, and schedule/dose alteration.

Related Experiment Videos

Overuse linked to adverse drug effects; forgetting common with polypharmacy (≥3 drugs daily).

Underuse is the most frequent noncompliant behavior; inappropriate discontinuation affects up to 40%.

Conclusions:

Drug noncompliance is prevalent and multifaceted in the elderly.
Polypharmacy, dementia, and depression exacerbate noncompliance issues.
Interventions are needed to improve medication adherence and safety in older adults.