The impact of patient knowledge of patient-centered medication label content on quality of life among older adults

BackgroundPrescription drugs have made great contributions to health and quality of life (QOL). However, inappropriate use of drugs may result in just the opposite effect. Older adults often take multiple medications simultaneously and thus are more vulnerable to inappropriate drug use. Knowledge of important aspects of medication use might reduce the risk of inappropriate utilization and improve QOL.ObjectiveTo determine the extent of patient knowledge concerning patient-centered contents of medication labels (PCCMLs) and whether level of patient knowledge is associated with health outcomes.MethodsA survey was administered to members of 6 senior centers in Memphis, TN, USA. Surveys from older adults (65 or older) who were taking at least 1 medication were included in the current analyses (N = 287). QOL was measured using the Euroqual EQ-5D and the Visual Analog Scale (EQ-VAS). Older adults reported their knowledge of PCCML on a set of 4 Likert-type scale items concerning the PCCMLs. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, correlation analysis, and linear regression.ResultsStudy participants scored on average 16.20 (standard deviation [SD] = 3.41) for knowledge of PCCML. Patient knowledge of PCCML was associated with age (rs = −0.1469, P = .0127), race/ethnicity (F = 4.40, P = .0131), education (rs = 0.1984, P = .0007), and household income (rs = 0.1539, P = .0159). Study participants had an average EQ-5D score of 0.82 (SD = 0.16) and EQ-VAS score of 77.80 (SD = 15.07). Multivariate linear regression results showed that 1 unit increase in patient knowledge resulted in 0.62 unit increase (P = .017) in EQ-VAS QOL scores after adjusting for the impact of other variables. However, patient knowledge of PCCML did not significantly predict EQ-5D QOL scores (β^ = 0.002, P = .4633) when all other variables were controlled.ConclusionPatient knowledge of medication use was associated with QOL among older adults. New standardized labels should be designed to improve patient knowledge of PCCML information. Furthermore, providers of medication therapy management should ensure that older adults have a complete knowledge of the PCCML information.