Prescription Counseling Necessary For Hospita...( COLUMBUS...),Health

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- New research shows one out of four patients leave the hospital without knowing what a newly prescribed drug is for and how to take that drug.

The research also suggests that patients discharged from the hospital with three or more newly prescribed drugs have a tougher time recalling the basics of their new medication regimen.

Providing a few minutes of counseling might be all that's necessary to inform patients about new drug plans, said Jon Schommer, associate professor of pharmacy at Ohio State University.

"At many hospitals, people are discharged without much notice," Schommer said. "While the hospital pharmacist or the nurse may stop by the room to provide some discharge counseling, there often isn't time to get to patients before they leave."

According to the research, three out of four former hospital patients could remember what a drug was prescribed for and how to take it.

Less than one out of four patients left the hospital knowing what to expect from a drug or how to change their lifestyle to fit the medication. Also, patients 55 or older were less likely than younger patients to know the purpose of their medications.

The research appeared in a recent issue of the American Journal of Health System Pharmacy.

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Contact: Jon Schommer
Schommer.1@osu.edu
(614) 292-3011
Ohio State University
30-Sep-1998