© 1999 European Society of Cardiology
Non-compliance and knowledge of prescribed medication in elderly patients with heart failure
a Department of Cardiology Malmö University Hospital, S205 02 Malmö, Sweden
b Department of Community Medicine Malmö University Hospital, S205 02 Malmö, Sweden
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +46-0-40-33-10-00; fax: +46-0-40-33-62-09; e-mail: charles.cline{at}medforsk.mas.lu.se
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Abstract |
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 Top Abstract 1. Introduction2. Patients and methods3. Results4. DiscussionReferences |
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Aims: To determine the extent of non-compliance to prescribed medication in elderly patients with heart failure and to determine to what extent patients recall information given regarding their medication.
Methods and results: Non-compliance and knowledge of prescribed medication was studied in 22 elderly heart failure patients [mean age 79±6 (range 70–97); 14 (64%) male], using in-depth interviews performed 30 days after having been prescribed medication. All patients received standardised verbal and written information regarding their medication. Only 12 (55%) patients could correctly name what medication had been prescribed, 11 (50%) were unable to state the prescribed doses and 14 (64%) could not account for when the medication was to be taken, i.e. at what time of day and when in relation to meals the medication was to be taken. In the overall assessment six (27%) patients were found non-compliant and 16 (73%) patients were considered as possibly being compliant with their prescribed medication.
Conclusions: Non-compliance was common in elderly heart failure patients, as were shortcomings in patients knowledge regarding prescribed medication, despite efforts to give adequate information. There exists a need for alternative strategies to improve compliance in these patients.
Key Words: Heart failure • Compliance • Elderly
Accepted February 15, 1999
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1. Introduction |
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TopAbstract1. Introduction2. Patients and methods3. Results4. DiscussionReferences |
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Heart failure is a common disease associated with recurrent hospitalisations and poor prognosis [1, 2]. A number of clinical trials in heart failure patients have recently shown that the prognosis can be improved by pharmacological treatment [3–5]. Compliance, i.e. adherence to prescribed medication is a prerequisite for participation in clinical trials and is usually controlled. In contrast, in clinical practice compliance to prescribed medication is rarely, if ever, controlled. It is taken for granted that patients follow instructions regarding medication and that they understand the reason they were prescribed medication. However, it is increasingly recognised that non-compliance is common in clinical practice [6]. Therefore, the positive effects on mortality and morbidity as reported in clinical trials may, to a large extent, be lost. Indeed, non-compliance has been shown to be related to increased mortality in heart disease [7].
Furthermore, non-compliance and poor recollection of prescribed medication have been shown to be associated with a higher frequency of hospitalisation in elderly patients [8]. Physicians estimations of compliance correlate poorly with the true compliance and they tend to overestimate compliance in their patients [9]. Compared to the numerous studies of individual drugs, relatively little data exists on the nature and cause of non-compliance [10], and there is a definite need to improve our knowledge in this field [11].
The objective of the present study was to determine the degree of non-compliance with prescribed medication, in patients hospitalised for heart failure who had received standardised information in accordance with optimal implementation of clinical management guidelines in our department. It was also to determine to what extent heart failure patients could recall the information they had received in conjunction with the prescription of medication.
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2. Patients and methods |
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TopAbstract1. Introduction2. Patients and methods3. Results4. DiscussionReferences |
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Patients with clinically stable heart failure discharged after hospitalisation due to heart failure were included in the study. The diagnosis of heart failure was based on characteristic signs and symptoms, objective signs of left ventricular dysfunction and improvement in symptoms due to heart failure therapy. Patients were excluded if they: (1) were living outside the hospitals catchment area; (2) were institutionalised; (3) suffered from dementia or severe psychiatric disease; or (4) did not consent to be interviewed. Eligible patients seen by the study team from December 1992 to May 1993 were included.
All patients received strictly standardised information regarding their medication. A special effort was made to ensure that this information was understood by each patient. The information was given by the attending cardiologist and approximately 30 min was spent for this purpose. Patients were told what medication they had been prescribed including the name, preparation, strength, and dose of each drug, and at what time they were to be taken. They were also informed of the reason for the prescription and that they were to discontinue all other previously prescribed medication. After verbal information the patients received the same information in written form by way of a medication chart which also stated the name, preparation and strength of each drug. The doses to be taken at breakfast, lunch-time, evening-meal and bedtime were stated in four columns followed by a last column stating the indication for each drug prescribed. The patients were encouraged to present their medication chart at all visits at the out-patient clinic. These medication charts have been used in clinical routine at our hospital for more than 10 years, and doctors and nurses working in the hospitals catchment area are familiar with them.
A pharmacist, affiliated with the Department of Cardiology for research purposes, interviewed the study patients. The pharmacist was in no way involved in the treatment of the patients and had no specific knowledge of the patients medical history other than their prescribed medication. Prior to the interview the patients were contacted by telephone to settle the most convenient time for the interview, which took place in the patients home 30 days after receiving information in conjunction with the prescription of medication. Spouses were permitted to be present during the interviews. The interviews followed a prespecified protocol. Initially patients were asked to mention what information, verbal and written, they had received regarding their prescribed medication. The patients were asked to show all prescriptions and their medication chart. They were also requested to show all drug packages they possessed, including drugs not mentioned in the medication chart. The patients were then asked to state the names of the prescribed drugs, the reason that the specified medication was prescribed and, the dosage and time for drug intake. If necessary the patients were permitted to consult their medication chart. The patients were asked about the use of dispensing aids and any support they were receiving in dispensing their medication. On the basis of the outcome of the interview the pharmacist estimated the probability of compliance and the patient was categorised as either compliant or non-compliant. All patients who were able to provide such information regarding their prescribed medication as to make compliance possible, and who stated that they adhered to their prescription, were categorised as compliant.
During the interview the patients were asked about the perceived effects of their medication and any side-effects they were experiencing. In the presence of minor problems the pharmacist encouraged the patients to discuss them with their physician. In case of any serious problems the physician was informed directly. Minor discrepancies between drug intake and the medication chart were not discussed with the patient and no action was taken. If, however, these were serious the patients physician was informed.
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3. Results |
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TopAbstract1. Introduction2. Patients and methods3. Results4. DiscussionReferences |
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Twenty-two patients were included in the study. The patients were elderly (mean age 79±6; range 70–97 years) but mentally capable. Fourteen (64%) were male and 13 (59%) were single. Four (18%) patients were receiving aid from the municipal home care services. The cause of heart failure was ischemic heart disease in 16 (73%) and the mean duration since diagnosis was 43±53 months. The occurrence of concomitant disease is shown in Table 1. The mean New York Heart Association functional class was 2.5±0.9. Many patients had severely depressed left ventricular systolic function and the mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 0.36±0.10. The mean number of prescribed drugs was 7.5±3.3 per patient (range 2–16). The number of drugs prescribed per patient is shown in Fig. 1. Further information on the pharmacological treatment is given in Table 2.
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The majority of patients, 20 (91%), remembered receiving verbal information about their medication at discharge or follow-up, whereas only five (23%) remembered receiving any written information. Two (9%) patients did not recall receiving any information at all. Inability to recall the given information and non-compliance is summarised in Fig. 2. Ten (45%) patients could not correctly name what drugs they had been prescribed. Eleven (50%) were not able to state the prescribed doses and 14 (64%) could not account for what time of day and when in relation to meals their medication was to be taken. In the overall assessment six (27%) were found to be non-compliant and 16 (73%) patients were considered as possibly being compliant with their prescribed medication. Still 18 (82%) were taking medication not prescribed at discharge or the follow-up visit, i.e. previously prescribed medication that should have been discontinued or new medication prescribed within the last 30 days. The mean number of these medications was 1.9±1.2 per patient.
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A minority of patients, four (18%), had their medication dispensed by relatives, or the home care assistant. Most patients, 18 (82%), were themselves responsible for dispensing their medication. Only seven (32%) patients used a dispensing aid. One (5%) patient used a home-made device, whereas six (28%) used a compartmentalised, 7-day medication organiser (Dosett®) available at the pharmacy.
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4. Discussion |
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TopAbstract1. Introduction2. Patients and methods3. Results4. DiscussionReferences |
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The present study shows that non-compliance with prescribed medication is common in patients with congestive heart failure. Indeed, only three of four patients were possibly compliant 1 month after having been given extensive information, according to present standards about their medication. A large number did not adhere to the medication chart that they had received and almost one in 10 had completely forgotten the information given. Not only was there an underuse of prescribed medication, but a number of patients were also taking medication that they had been instructed to discontinue. The study confirmed that polypharmacy is frequent in elderly patients with heart failure and the patients included were prescribed an average of seven different drugs.
In a study of elderly patients discharged from a geriatric hospital, Nikolaus et al. [6]found that only 44% took their medication according to prescription, which was less than in our study. Although the patients in the two studies were similar with regard to age, the difference in compliance may be explained by two main reasons. Firstly, due to a difference in the assessment of compliance. Nikolaus et al. took into account observations of patients management of their medication, including storage, presence of a medication schedule, ability to procure medication and handling of medication containers, which we did not. Inclusion of these additional aspects would tend to confer a greater degree of non-compliance. Secondly, Nikolaus and co-workers included patients with various diagnoses, whereas the present study only included patients primarily suffering from heart failure. Compliance may vary depending on diagnosis due to among other things, differences in the degree of symptoms and side effects, and the number of drugs prescribed. In another study [12], conducted in a primary care setting and using a method to evaluate compliance similar to that in the present study, Blenkiron found that 77% of elderly patients adhered to prescribed medication. This data is similar to that found in the present study, giving support to the validity of our data.
The information given to the patients in the present study appeared uncomplicated and was reinforced by a medication chart, thus allowing the patient the possibility to refer to it if they were unsure of the verbal instructions. From the point of view of the prescribing physician this approach seems to be an adequate measure to ensure patient compliance and it has been found acceptable in clinical practice. However, Judd and colleagues have shown that physicians are very poor at assessing to what extent their patients will adhere to prescribed medication and, in the context of the present study, there appears to be a need for alternative methods to evaluate patient compliance.
As can be inferred from the present study, heart failure patients often continue using medication discontinued during hospitalisation and are frequently prescribed new drugs. This has been noted by Burns et al. [13]in a study of patients discharged from a geriatric unit. They found that 48% of patients had previously prescribed medication available at home and only 63% had unchanged prescriptions 8 days after discharge. It was suggested that this was in part due to a ‘repeat prescription practice’ without account being taken of the recent hospital admission. A similar study on changes in medication in geriatric patients after discharge showed that changes in medication could be attributed to an incomplete drug history, the continuation of drugs taken before hospital admission and changes not attributable to a conscious clinical decision [14].
Could the extent of non-compliance in the present study be due to the patients old age? Old age has not been found to negatively influence compliance [15]. Indeed existing data suggests that compliance rates are higher in elderly compared to younger heart failure patients [16]. Polypharmacy has, however, been found to be associated with non-compliance [6]. The patients in our study were prescribed a large number of drugs and this may have contributed to a greater extent to non-compliance than the patients age. The present study does not allow for assessment of the possibility of simplifying patients treatment regimen in order to increase compliance.
There is no true ‘gold standard’ for measuring compliance. We used in-depth interviews in our evaluation. The interviews were conducted by a pharmacist not directly involved in the treatment of the patients or the prescription of medication, in order to reduce possible bias on the part of the patient. This method has been found more accurate than pill counts for evaluating compliance [17]. Interviews are relatively specific in confirming non-compliance but are not sensitive enough to rule it out [18]. Compliance in our study may, therefore be overestimated. Although there is a lack of data on compliance in comparable heart failure patients, comparison with studies performed in geriatric patients suggests that our results are valid and therefore applicable to elderly heart failure patients in general [9, 11–13].
In conclusion, we found that non-compliance is common in elderly heart failure patients, as are shortcomings in patients knowledge regarding prescribed medication despite efforts to adequately provide information. There is, therefore, a need to develop alternative strategies aimed at improving compliance. Such strategies may include simplified medication regimens aimed at reducing polypharmacy, long-term reinforcement, the development of dispensing aids, improved communication between hospital specialists and primary care physicians and repetitive, objective evaluation of compliance. The effect of such alternative strategies on outcomes in heart failure should then be evaluated.
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References |
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- Kannel WB, Belanger AJ. Epidemiology of heart failure. Am Heart J (1991) 121:951–957.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]
- Cline C, Broms K, Willenheimer R, Israelsson B, Erhardt L. Hospitalization and health care costs due to congestive heart failure in the elderly. Am J Ger Cardiol (1996) 5:10–23.
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