Consumer perspectives of medication-related problems following discharge from hospital in Australia: a quantitative study

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the consumer's perspectives and experiences regarding medication related problems (MRPs) following discharge from hospital.

Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online 80-question survey.

Setting: Survey participants were recruited through an online market research company.

Participants: Five hundred and six participants completed the survey. Participants were included if they were aged 50 years or older, taking 5 or more prescription medicines, had been admitted to hospital with a minimum stay of 24 h, admitted to hospital within the last 4 months and discharged from hospital within the last 1 month.

Main outcome measures: The survey comprised questions measuring: health literacy, health status, medication safety (measured by reported MRPs), missed dose(s), role of health professionals, health services and cost, and socio-demographic status. Descriptive and univariate statistics and logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the predictors of experiencing MRPs.

Results: Four main risk factors of MRPs emerged as significant: health literacy (P < 0.05), health status (P < 0.05), consumer engagement (P < 0.05) and cost of medicines (P = 0.001). Participants reporting a lack of perceived control over their medicines (OR 6.3; 95% CI: 3.4-11.8) or those who played less of a role in follow-up discussions with their healthcare professionals (OR 7.6; 95% CI: 1.3-45.7) were more likely to experience a self-reported MRP.

Conclusions: This study provides insight into consumers' experiences and perceptions of self-reported MRPs following hospital discharge. Results highlight novel findings demonstrating the importance of consumer engagement in developing processes to ensure medication safety on patient discharge.

Keywords: drug errors; patient safety; patient-centred; quantitative research; surveys.