ABSTRACT

This study is designed to analyse the ability of patients admitted to ED to recall drugs they were using for chronic diseases, and any eff ects of multiple drug use and age on recall.

The study was conducted in the University-based ED. A total of 150 patients with chronic diseases were enrolled in the study. The relationship between recalling the drugs and age groups was analyzed by X² test.

Responses to the question for which indications the patients were prescribed the drugs, indicated that 41.3% patients in the elderly group remembered all of the indications of the drugs accurately, while the corresponding rate was 58.7% of young individuals (p=0.001). 34% patients in the elderly group and 66% of young individuals remembered all of the drug doses they used accurately (p=0.000). 29.1% patients in the elderly group, vs. 70.9% of young individuals were able to remember the trade names of the drugs they used (p=0.000).

Senility and usage of multiple drugs appear to have a negative eff ect on recall of drug names and dosages.

Keywords: Drug recalls, emergency medicine, aged